Mass Effect 5 - Darkening Dreams
by Alan Tryth
Summary: After the events of "Mass Effect 4: The Streamer's Edge", Finn and his ragtag crew have joined forces with the Shadow Broker against their common enemy. Joined by more wayward souls from across the stars (and beyond), they work to uncover the sinister conspiracy that threatens to tear the galaxy asunder.
1. Chapter 1 - Home of the Fallen

Chapter 1

**Home of the Fallen**

There wasn't much out in the Phoenix Massing. Once geth-controlled space, the area was now a silent testament to the existence of the race of synthetics who stood with the galaxy against the flawed logic of the Reapers. Ships, bases, and millions of geth platforms lay still in the voice between the Salaheil and Chromos systems, monitored by the quarian government.

It was among the ancient vessels that Billy, the last survivor of the geth, flew the prototype Cerberus starfighter that was now his only platform. His pilot, Alliance fugitive and former repairman, Finn Cresste, was busily checking the system for prying scanners.

"Looks like we're clear." Finn said, his eyes on the sensor screen. "Nice of Rannoch to let us look around."

"Indeed." Billy's voice said in Finn's head via neural interface. "I admit, I was surprised they so readily accepted my existence."

"It's not that surprising." Finn told him. "They had reconciled with the geth before the whole Crucible thing. You're like their long lost child that they thought had died in the war with his brothers and sisters."

After a few moments of silence, Finn said, "Er, sorry. That sounded better in my head."

To his surprise, Billy chuckled. "I understand what you were trying to say. I'm just surprised that the other quarians had even half the excitement at meeting me as Kyra."

"Yeah." Finn tried to force a chuckle, but it just came out as a sigh.

Billy's concern was like a small cloud in his mind. "Is something wrong?"

"We … had an argument yesterday. It was really stupid; I was trying to help with some of the Ulasomorf's upgrades, but I think she took it as an insult. She kept telling me I was just messing things up."

"And?"

Sighing again, Finn said, "And she was right. Didn't stop me from arguing about it, though."

"You're really bothered by this, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Finn confessed. "We've had a few squabbles before, but this was our first big fight. I don't even know why I was so bothered at the time; like I said, she was right. I guess part of me will always be the brat I was back on Earth, but … I don't want …"

"Yes?"

"I don't want to lose her." He blushed. "I'm sorry, Billy. This is my problem; I shouldn't just be laying it on you like this."

After a few moments of silence, Billy suggested, "Maybe you should tell her that when you apologize. They say that honesty is important in a lasting relationship, and I know you care as much about her as she does about you."

"She told you that?" Finn asked curiously.

"Not intentionally. She was talking about your fight to Mannon while she was working on the Gradisian earlier. I believe her exact words were, 'Yeah, he's a knucklehead, but he's my knucklehead.'"

Finn chuckled in earnest. "Thanks, Billy. It may sound strange, but it kinda helps to hear that."

"Glad to be of assistance. Now, perhaps we should begin our exercises. Javik insisted I return you on time for a change."

"Fair enough." Finn shoved the argument out of his mind along with his future training session with the last Prothean and focused his attention on Billy's controls.

Three geth fighters fired up their thrusters and sped his way under Billy's remote control. As they zoomed past Billy, Finn fired up Billy's engines and gave chase.

The Graveyard was the perfect place for flight training; plenty of vessels to dodge around and avoid, just as would be likely in a real fight. They had outfitted the geth fighters with low-power lasers; they weren't strong enough to cause any damage, but Billy could detect the angle of the hit and estimate the damage he would have received from standard weapons.

Finn had been humbled during his first few sessions; although he prided himself on his skill as a pilot, Billy had managed to peg him with a deadly shot within a minute. Always a quick study, Finn had brushed off his old talents and made a point to learn from his mistakes.

Under Finn's control, Billy spun, swerved, and slipped through the inert ships as though the ship were merely an extention of his body. Part of that was the neural interface; the ship responded equally to his thoughts as it did to his manipulation of the controls, allowing him far more control than the pilot of a typical vessel. Part of it was Billy as well; the geth's voice was always whispering in his ear, advising him on tactics and flying tricks once shared by the best of geth fighter pilots.

It would be remiss to say that Finn's natural skill wasn't a factor; Finn felt more alive in a cockpit than anywhere else, with the possible exception of being in the company of Kyra. More often than not, he operated purely on instinct. Where anyone else would've been blown to bits, he always managed to fly through it.

It was nonsense, his instructors had told him. He merely was able to filter sensor data and apply it to flying with very little response time. Maybe they were right, but to Finn, he was flying on his own.

After pegging the final ship, Billy said, "Impressive. That was even faster than yesterday."

"Wanna do a live fire test?" Finn asked, grinning at his console.

"While I have no doubt you'd be victorious, I have no desire to destroy the remains of my kind."

"Oh." Finn said, feeling very foolish. "I'm sorry, man; I didn't mean …"

"It isn't important. With no way to restore their programming, the geth are little more than empty husks, floating in the void for eternity. Still, I hope that perhaps they might one day be restored."

Finn knew it must have been tough for Billy, being the last of his kind. He wished there was something he could do to help, but Kyra had already gone over Billy and Jake's programming extensively; if there was a way to restore the geth, it was beyond her.

Sighing, Finn said, "Well, let's get back. Hate to keep Javik waiting."

There was a saying on the ocean world of Trident; everything lost eventually will eventually wash up on Trident's shores. There was big money in combing the few beaches scattered across the planet, but the popular saying was more focused on the people of trident. Widely considered one of the most lawless places in the universe, Trident was home to many a corporation wanting to act outside ethical guidelines. While private security firms kept crime to a minimum, corruption was widespread on the bits of land both natural and artificial.

Fortunately, there was one place on the planet where a quiet pervasive order still existed. Swimming beneath the ocean like one of the natural leviathans of trident, the Amonjana silently floated through the currents, carefully avoiding the settlements as to remain unknown to all. The Amonjana was home to the Shadow Broker, the master of secrets whispered across the known galaxy and beyond. That the Broker was in fact Doctor Liara T'soni, noted anthropologist and friend of galaxy hero John Shepard, was a secret known only to a select few.

As Billy neared the current location of the Amonjana, Finn transmitted the code that would extend the long passage that would allow them to dock within the moving ship. Even knowing that the top of the tunnel was disguised to look like the ocean, Finn still had a hard time seeing the passage entrance when it slowly rose from the ocean, looking far more like a particularly tall wave than a complex combination of design and holography.

"Finn?" Billy asked when Finn hesitated.

Shaking his head, Finn said, "Sorry. Heading down now."

The passage was well lit. The sight of the ocean above them never ceased to amaze Finn, though the view was quickly covered by safety bulkheads as the corridor began to retract.

There was a large landing area at the base of the corridor. There were only a few ships there, mostly short-range fighters used by the Shadow Broker's agents.

"Like me." Finn thought to himself. It was a strange thought; he had been a pilot, a repairman, a hacker, and an engineer, but an agent of the Shadow Broker? It was hard to ignore the childish voice inside him jumping up and down at the idea of being a secret agent working for one of the most mysterious organizations in the galaxy.

Finn set Billy down by the Gradisian, the old quarian fighter he had bought when he left Omega for J-27. Kyra had used some of the Shadow Broker's resources to upgrade the ship into a truly impressive fighter: top-of-the-line armor plating and shield generators, some truly impressive cutting-edge weaponry, and a more compact and powerful mass effect drive. He had flown it a few times already; it was easily a match for Billy, though it was missing that one thing that made the prototype Cerberus ship truly special.

"A shame you can't upload onto the Gradisian." Finn told Billy. "I can only imagine how much trouble we could cause together in her."

"Liara is researching the storage cells in this ship. If she can figure out how Glaxe managed to lock me into this ship's databanks, I might yet be able to leave this prison of mine. I might even be able to move into one of the geth platforms Liara has recovered."

Something in Billy's tone caught Finn's ear. "I kinda thought you'd be glad to be able to move around on your own."

"Perhaps I've gotten used to this ship. The idea of being compressed into a moving platform is, quite frankly, unappealing. Besides; without this ship, we wouldn't be able to converse as freely."

"Ah." Finn nodded. Billy was speaking of the neural interface; he and Finn had spoken quite frequently in the recreation of Rannoch. The interface was integrated into the Cerberus vessel; they'd have to tear the ship apart to remove it, and there was no telling if it could be integrated into the Gradisian.

Still, Finn was glad Billy valued their conversations; Finn certainly did. "Well, maybe it's all for the best, then. After all, the Gradisian can't cloak yet anyway."

There was a slight tone of relief in Billy's voice as he said, "Indeed. Landing procedures are complete; are you departing?"

"Yeah." Finn told him. "Don't want to keep Javik waiting."

Billy chuckled. "Any longer, anyway. Talk to you later, Finn."

As the neural interface retracted, Finn let out a sigh. It didn't hurt, not anymore; Billy had reinforced the original port he had installed in Finn so that connecting was nearly seamless. It still left him feeling a bit drained when disconnecting.

Billy's hatch opened, only to reveal the pale, maroon-tinged face of Kyra'Shor Nar Shepard. The sight of his girlfriend still made Finn's heart make a leap for his throat. Her gentle, beautiful face, her stark black hair, and her luminescent eyes often followed him into his dreams. Even when she was clearly annoyed, she still managed to look unbearably pretty in her grease-smeared sleeveless shirt and denim overalls.

"About time you dragged your lazy ass back here." She told him as she helped him out of Billy. "Javik's been stomping around like a man possessed. Would it hurt you to be on time for-"

Her eyes widened as he pulled her close and kissed her. She started to pull away for a moment before giving in and wrapping her arms around him.

When their lips separated, she stared at him for a moment before asking breathlessly, "What was that for?"

"An apology." Finn told her truthfully. "You were right; I was just being stupid … y'know, on the Ulasomorf. If I had listened to you instead of being a pig-headed jerk, you wouldn't have had to spend all evening fixing the sensor array."

His apology seemed to take her by surprise. Looking a bit embarrassed, She fidgeted with his hands, saying, "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I've just been so stressed with the upgrades to the Ulasomorf and the Gradisian, and Katt keeps trying to pull me into helping her with the cloaking generator …"

She sighed and smiled at him, her soft hand rubbing his cheek. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me, sweetie. Deal?"

"As you wish, milady." Finn took her hand and kissed it gently, making her giggle and blush.

Squeezing his hand, she asked, "Meet me for lunch after Javik's finished running you through the ringer?"

"Depends. What are they serving in medical?" Finn told her, making her laugh again.

As they kissed again, Finn found himself savoring the ever-present taste of blackberries on Kyra's lips. He wondered briefly if it was her lipstick, or simply natural.

After they separated, they stared at each other for a moment. Kyra seemed to be waiting for him to say something; Finn wished he knew what it was.

"Well." He told her eventually, "I'd better get moving. See you later."

"Later, sweetie." She gave him a final kiss on the cheek before slipping around him to get to Billy.

Finn stared at her for a long moment. How had someone like him ended up with a wonderful woman like her after all of the mistakes he had made in his life? If there was some deity keeping karmatic score, Finn couldn't help but feel that the numbers had gotten mixed up at some point.

Kyra glanced up at him, catching his stare. Smiling, she said, "As much as I like being admired, I'm not kidding about Javik. You'd better get moving, Finn."

His cheeks feeling hot, Finn nodded and said, "Right. I'll just … right."

As he walked off, he caught a hint of a giggle behind him. Resisting the urge to turn, he headed for the nearest lift.

The Amonjana was a massive ship, mostly due to the way the design allowed the ocean to run through parts of the ship, allowing the ship to naturally diffuse the engine heat without harming the aquatic life of trident. It also gave the people living on the ship many windows that looked out into the ocean, a truly wonderous sight. Trident had a thriving underwater ecosystem that supported everything from the tiny mirmba shrimp to the massive whale-like leviathans. Finn and Kyra often went walking around the station to admire the ocean life.

The lift was actually a small pod designed to link to other parts of the ship. Finn stared out of the windows as a school of bright red fish swam around him, seemingly undisturbed by the pod's presence.

As the pod slid between the numerous tunnels of the ship, Finn caught a glimpse of Darsan walking towards the kitchen facilities. Some may think it odd to recognize a specific elcor with just a passing glance, but some hadn't encountered an elcor with a love of fine clothing and ostentatious hats. On that occasion, Darsan was wearing his usual wide-brim red velvet pimp hat with leopard-skin band and a jaunty blue feather.

Finn smiled, thinking back to the first time he had seen Darsan in that hat; cornered by the Blue Suns, Finn, Jake, and Mannon were as good as dead until Darsan appeared from nowhere and saved their bacon; the armor-mounted weapons had torn the Mercs to shreds, but it was that hat that stuck in Finn's mind more than anything.

Darsan wasn't alone either; Eri and Xyn were walking beside him. Eri was a turian Finn had met during Omega; together, they managed to drain one of the Blue Suns bank accounts and escape, though not without losing the other two members of their little gang. He was quick with a gun, but even quicker with a joke.

Xyn was another of Finn's old friends, but whereas Finn and Eri had been partners in crime, Xyn and Finn had aspired to something more. Xyn was a scaal, a humanoid plant-based race known together with the flying glin and the subterranean trusk as Neukaraans. Her tall, slender form was the very epitome of grace. Beauty shone through every inch of her smooth dark skin and her long green hair as she laughed along with Eri, her blue eyes seeming to glow in the dim lighting of the corridor.

Finn couldn't help but sigh; he and Xyn had been close once. After rescuing her from the fire that took the life of her bond mate, he had stayed by her side when her own people had given her up for dead. He had thought they were close, only to realize that she had simply latched on to him as a replacement for her lost mate. Feeling that his presence was causing more harm than good, he had left her, Nuekaara, and his life on New Elysia.

Seeing her laughing and talking with Eri and Darsan certainly made it look like he had made the right choice. Of course, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty at abandoning her, especially after she kidnapped him and Kyra while under the influence of Nektar, an emotion-amplifying drug that caused her to nearly kill the both of them in a fit of jealous rage and loneliness.

Eri noticed Finn through the window and gave him a wave. Finn waved at his friends as he passed, a wave of nostalgia passing over him when he thought about everything they had gone through, only a scant few months ago. It was hard to believe so many things had changed.

As the pod docked with the aft of the Amonjana, Finn shook his head. He'd need a clear head for Javik's training; the last of the Protheans always seemed to know when his thoughts wandered, and never hesitated to take advantage of it, much to Finn's chagrin.

The aft of the ship held most of the Shadow Broker's weaponry; jokingly referred to by the crew as 'The Forge'. The quartermaster was a relentlessly cheery red-haired woman named Anna Muleen, but everyone just referred to her as 'little sis', partly because of her friendly nature and partly because she was just under four feet tall.

"Hey, hun." She said as Finn approached her desk. "Javik's waiting for you in chamber seven."

She held out a rifle, saying, "Here; just got 'em in. Completely energy-based rapid-fire combat rifle; they call it the C-Brace."

"The Geruda Corp's been busy lately, haven't they?" Finn asked, hefting the surprisingly light rifle. It almost felt like a toy in his hands. It certainly had an impressive look to it, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it would shatter if he dropped it.

Javik was waiting for him when he entered chamber seven. The chambers were large holo-rooms programmed with a wide array of combat scenarios (and more than one vacation Vista). As soon as the doors closed behind Finn, they promptly vanished, leaving the two of them in a wide grassy area with a few clusters of prefabricated colony 'drop-boxes'. Ancient prothean spires jutted out of the earth and dense wildlife in the distance, a reminder of the race that had last colonized the planet.

"You are late. Again." Javik said flatly.

Normally, Finn would've rattled off some carefree response, but to be honest, Javik kinda scared him. It wasn't his appearance; the four-eyed Prothean was hardly the strangest sapient Finn had ever encountered, though he was undoubtedly one of the most intimidating. Javik was a warrior from another age … two other ages, in fact. He had survived the Reapers twice, and from how hard he drilled his military training into Finn, it was clear that he intended to go for three.

That wasn't the only thing that bothered Finn; he didn't know much about Protheans, but Finn could swear that Javik was psychic. Whatever excuse he used, Javik seemed to see through it almost immediately. Whenever he tried to lie about where he was, or what he had been doing, Javik corrected him almost immediately, and that was downright unnerving.

Javik took Finn's rifle and examined it for a moment before nodding and tossing it back. "Begin!"

A shuttle marked with what Finn recognized as Cerberus's logo zoomed overhead to the far side of the settlement. Finn counted six soldiers and an engineer leaving the shuttle before it zoomed off again.

Finn rushed forward, careful to stay close to crates and other areas that could provide cover. Fortunately, his approach was not noticed; the soldiers were out on the open and exposed.

Finn poked his head over the crate he was currently behind, and fired a burst of energy bullets at the engineer and the two nearest soldiers. Unfortunately, his aim was off, and not a single shot found its mark. The soldiers leapt behind the nearest cover; unfortunately for some of the soldiers, that cover included several small canisters of thermal capacitance gel. Normally used to power small machinery, thermal gel was extremely combustible. Finn activated his omni-tool and sent a burst of fire flying through the air and directly into the pile of canisters, igniting them in a fireball that engulfed all the soldiers and sent the remaining crates and non-combustible canisters flying in all directions. After the explosion, Finn poked his head over his crate, only to find the engineer's arm sticking out from beneath part of the pre-fabricated unit that had collapsed.

"Ha!" Finn said, raising his rifle in victory. "Record time!"

Javik let out sigh and shook his head. "Impressive."

"Really?" Finn asked. It was rare for Javik to give praise.

"Indeed. Twenty three shots in all, and you didn't manage to hit a single target."

Finn's face fell. "Well … I stopped them, didn't I?"

Javik gave him an icy glare. "Your engineering skills may be on par with Shepard's, but like him, you must be a soldier as well as an engineer if you intend to stand against Cerberus. If you spent half as much time training here as you did flying through the stars with that machine …"

The entrance to the training chamber slid open, revealing a woman in blue combat armor. Her feminine body structure was similar to that of a turian, but her face and hair were more similar to that of a human.

Her name was P'Terya. Finn still knew very little about her, other than that she had been created from the combined DNA of a human and a turian, something he had thought impossible. Then again, the same had been said of humans and quarians before omni-genetic conversion had been discovered.

She approached Javik, saying, "You finished putting him through his paces?"

"We have scarcely begun." Javik told her. Finn noticed an almost imperceptible softening of the Prothean's voice as he spoke to what was for all intents and purposes his youngest daughter. "His lack of skill could be described as legendary at this point."

There was laughter in her eyes as she turned to Finn. "Well, as much as I hate to take him away from training he desperately needs, Liara asked me to bring him to her."

Javik snorted. "Take him. We'll continue our training tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Finn asked. "But I'm supposed to-"

"Tomorrow and the next day. I'm tripling your combat training until you learn to hit your target."

Finn suppressed an urge to groan as Terra led him out of the room.

"Now, Finn." She said teasingly as she started walking. "It's all for the good of the galaxy."

"Fat lot of good that does me if he ends up shooting me." Finn grumbled.


	2. Chapter 2 - The First Mission

_Updating is going to be a bit … erratic until I settle into my new job. I'd go into detail, but let's just say I'm a bit out of shape. Rest assured, I haven't abandoned this or any other project, and will be posting as time permits._

Chapter 2

**The First Mission**

"C'mon, tell me!" P'Terya pleaded as they walked to the Lair. "You've been together for months."

"It's none of your business." Finn told her. While her own age was something they had guessed at, she acted like she was only sixteen. "Why don't you ask Kyra?"

Kyra pouted as we waited for the Lair's scanners to pass over us. "Fine. I will."

The chamber doors opened, revealing the room Finn often referred to as the Shadow Broker's Lair. Liara had expressed her dislike of the nickname, but it spread quickly through Finn's crew. The circular room was filled with glowing consoles, some embedded in the walls and others just holographic projections. In the center of the room was a single chair, designed to allow her to quickly access a number of nearby consoles. Seeing her hard at work brought mental images of stereotypical mad scientists to Finn's mind, though he never dared say such a thing.

It wasn't that Liara was intimidating, because she wasn't. She had a kind face, and after seeing her interact with her daughters and Javik, Finn couldn't think of her as anything other than a kindly mother. That's exactly why he wouldn't dare say anything hurtful; she reminded him of his own mother.

She wasn't alone; a small quadraped robot was sitting on a console beside her. The circular monitor that served as its face displayed a rather cartoonish face that vaguely resembled that of a dog. The unit, properly referred to as a KEI-9, was Finn's best friend in the entire galaxy, Jake.

The two of them had been together since running into each other on Earth during Finn's academy days. The young Finn needed a friend just as much as the abandoned KEI-9 Unit, and in a matter of weeks, the two had become inseparable.

"Hey man!" Jake said, hopping off of the console beside Liara's chair and trotting over to Finn. "How'd training go?"

"About as well as last time." Finn admitted. He rubbed the top of Jake's monitor, saying, "What've you been up to, bro?"

"Talking with Liara! We got a mission!"

Finn glanced up at Liara, who nodded. "If you feel ready for it, of course."

"Yeah, sure … er, I mean, yes ma'am."

Liara let out a kind laugh. "It's okay, Finn. I think you've earned the right to let formalities slide. After all, you helped me take back the Normandy."

"I'm glad I could help." Finn told her. Truthfully, he felt he owed her far more for rescuing him from the Citadel jail, but it didn't seem the polite thing to say. Coughing, he asked, "So, what's the mission?"

"One of my agents is requesting a pickup on Ilium."

Finn raised an eyebrow at the asari Matron. "That's it?"

Seeing her brow furrow, he quickly added, "Don't get me wrong; I'm sure it's important and all. I was just expecting something a little more … I dunno, dangerous."

"Have you ever been to Ilium?" Liara asked curiously.

"Nope. I was considering going there when I ran into Darsan and got the posting on J-27. I've heard the rumors of course; people signing themselves into indentured servitude, people assassinated for bumping in to the wrong person."

"Ah." She nodded as though that explained everything. "Well, it's pretty much as bad as you heard. Garrus always said that Ilium was just Omega with a pretty face. A bit extreme, perhaps, but true enough. Be on your guard."

Finn nodded respectfully. "Anything I need to know about the agent?"

Liara tapped at her controls for a few moments. An image of a female drell appeared in mid-air. Her scales were red, those around her throat nearly as dark as blood. Coupled with her dark eyes and slender, athletic build, she had a definite look of danger about her.

"Hylia Krios." Liara told them. "I've worked with her family for years; great agents … and good friends. She's been researching some of the Cerberus base locations Billy provided us."

"Find anything interesting?" Terra asked curiously.

"I'd imagine so, seeing as she's called for an immediate pickup." Glancing at Finn, Liara said, "She requested you by name."

"Me?" Finn said, surprised. "Have I met her?"

"No, but I've learned to trust the Krios's instincts over the years. If she wants you, she must have a good reason."

Shrugging, Finn said, "Fair enough. I'll grab the others and head out."

Liara bowed her head. "Thank you. Keep me apprised of any changes in the situation."

As Finn, Jake, and Terra headed to the door, Liara called out, "I'm sorry, Terra, but I need you to stay here."

Terra turned around, a hurt look on her face. "But they might need me! They aren't familiar with the security codes or …"

"I'm sorry, Terra, but I have another assignment for you. One that requires your unique abilities."

Pouting, Terra patted Finn on the shoulder, saying, "I guess I'll see you later, Finn. Bye Jake!"

"Bye Terra!" Jake told her as the doors to the Lair began to slide shut. Once they were secure, he shook his head, saying, "Bright girl, but she acts like she just got out of high school."

Finn shrugged, saying, "She's just excited. Besides, she saved our hides; we'd probably be mopping the bathrooms back at the Anderson Naval Academy if she hadn't saved our bacon."

"Heh. Fair enough." Jake laughed for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Hey, bro … can I ask you something kinda weird?"

"Sure. Shoot."

"Well … have we met Liara before somewhere?"

Finn considered it for a moment before saying, "I don't think so. You think we bumped into her somewhere before?"

"No, it's more than that. I get the feeling I know her … Javik too, though not as much as Liara. It's creepy."

Asari were everywhere in the galaxy; their influence was undeniable. Finn had met quite a few in his travels, but the only asari he spent any significant amount of time around was Aria, the self-styled Queen of Omega. There wasn't much room for comparison between Aria and Liara.

"I can't imagine where." Finn replied. "I think we'd remember if someone like her showed up on J-27."

Jake chuckled. "Yeah, you're right."

The Ulasomorf was in the Amonjana's repair bay. A complicated conglomeration of design and technology from across the galaxy, she was a ship like no other. In terms of technical details, she was as impressive in her own right as the other ship in the repair bay, the Normandy SR-2.

Physically, the two ships couldn't be much more different; the Normandy was a sleek Alliance frigate, whereas the Ulasomorf was a bit on the bulky side due to it originally being a salvage vessel. The Ulasomorf was actually a little bigger, though this could be attributed to the mish-mash of designs used in its construction. Of course, the Normandy had the advantage in terms of appearance; it looked like a warship, whereas the Ulasomorf looked like …

"Like a big shoe." Finn said aloud.

Jake chuckled. "I told you."

"Yes, and now I can't not see it." He sighed, adding, "Still, it's my shoe … ship."

Finn's slip made Jake laugh all the harder.

They entered the ship through the shuttle bay door. At the moment, the only two vehicles in the Ulasomorf's shuttle bay were a battered old pickup truck and the Gradisian, a refitted quarian fighter.

Two humans with cybernetic implants were currently working on the Gradisian. Well, they were hypothetically working on the Gradisian; they carried tools, and several of the quarian fighter's access panels had been removed. At the moment, however, the two engineers seemed to be arguing.

"You're dreaming!" said the small woman with the cybernetic legs, who was currently sitting on the Gradisian's tail. "The Rangers don't have a chance!"

"The Rangers have Janus Creede." Replied the bear of a man with the cybernetic arm. "Did you see him last season, Katt? The guy's Hall of Fame material, and he's only been out of college for a year."

The woman named Katt snorted. "Sure, but he's one guy; the Knights have a full team of great players. Mschens, Windstar, Myssohn …" Her eyes caught Finn and Jake. "Finn!"

"Finn?" the man asked incredulously before turning to see their approach. "Oh, I thought -"

"Thought I abandoned my noble quest to play on the circuit, Rico?" Finn asked, grinning. "Not quite. How are the upgrades going?"

Katt hopped off of the wing and hit the ground easily, her artificial legs absorbing the impact without a problem. "So far, so good. I wouldn't say she's ready to take on Billy just yet, but she's getting there. What's up?"

"We've got a mission." Finn told them. "Liara wants us to go pick up an agent on Ilium."

"Ooh! I've never been to Ilium before." Katt rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Think Liara would mind if we tag along?"

"Yes." Rico told her flatly. "We've still got a lot of work to do on the Normandy."

Katt pouted at him, visibly disappointed.

Sighing, Rico pulled her into his arms and hugged her close, saying, "After we finish the upgrades on the Normandy, I'll ask if we can have a little time off."

Squeeing again, Katt kissed the tip of Rico's nose before slipping out of his grasp and skipping away towards the Normandy.

Jake chuckled. "Ah, wedded bliss.

Patting his old friend on the shoulder, Finn commented, "She certainly seems eager for a vacation."

"She's eager to exercise our savings in Ilium's marketplace." Sighing, he said, "In any case, the Gradisian's good to fly, though I'd hold off on using the weapon systems just yet. We're still having trouble balancing the power grid."

"Won't be necessary." Finn told him, pointing to the open cargo door, where the sleek black form of Billy was being guided into the Ulasomorf by Kyra. She waved at them with her free hand, the other holding the tractor beam emitter that was moving the experimental fighter.

As Finn waved back, Rico commented, "Glad to see you two stopped fighting. Of course, I guess that means you're the one who'll have to watch his credits on Ilium now."

Finn opened his mouth to reply, but Rico was already walking away, heading after his wife.

"A shame Liara snapped them up for service on the Normandy, huh?" Jake commented. "I kinda liked having them around again."

"The Normandy needs a lot of work." Finn said, although in truth he felt the same way. "Maybe when they get her upgraded she'll let Katt and Rico join our team."

They both glanced at Billy as Kyra set him down on the cargo bay floor. Shouldering the tractor beam emitter, Kyra approached the two of them with a cheery smile on her face.

"Hi, sweetie." She said before kissing him on the cheek. Kneeling down beside Jake, she rubbed the sensor panel on the top of the KEI-9 unit's monitor. The cartoon dog face displayed on the monitor let out a happy sigh.

"Finn!"

Finn glanced at the cargo bay ramp in time to see the rest of the team walking aboard, led by Darsan in a khaki-colored fedora. While not quite as ostentatious as his usual headwear, the brown suit coupled with the tan trenchcoat made him look as though he were about to audition for a part in an old detective movie.

"Delighted; Ah, Finn! I just heard we're getting our first official assignment!"

"Yep. Gotta go pick up one of Liara's agents on Ilium."

"Pickup duty?" Eri snorted. "And here I thought it might be something big."

Mannon gave Eri an odd look. Despite having cut ties with the Alliance, she still wore her Alliance jacket tied around her waist. "You're kidding, right? Given everything that's happened, I'm glad we're starting on something small."

They both stopped as Xyn moved between them, seemingly gliding along the floor with effortless ease.

She placed her delicate-looking hands over both of theirs, saying, "The good lady Liara has asked for our assistance, so surely our task is not a trivial one."

"Er, yes." Eri said, bowing his head. Turians didn't blush (at least not in any way most species would recognize), but Finn had come to recognize certain little tells in the turian's face, particularly when Xyn was around.

Mannon jerked her hand back as though Xyn's touch burned her. A noticeable sadness crossed Xyn's face, but she said no more. As she moved closer to Eri, Finn couldn't help but notice that the turian was now holding her hand.

Clearing his throat, Finn said, "Well, I think that's everyone. You all ready to get this mission started?"

His crew let out a rousing cheer that lifted Finn's spirits immensely.

"All right!" He said, clapping his hands. "Everyone to their stations! We'll be heading out in ten minutes!"

"Come on, Jake." Finn said, rubbing his friend's head. "Let's get to the bridge."

"You got it, bro!"

As the two of them headed for the bridge, Finn's heart felt light in his chest. Whatever lay before them, he was sure the crew of the Ulasomorf would pull through.


	3. Chapter 3 - Bright Lights

_Okay, back on track now. Time to get this story moving again._

Chapter 3

**Bright Lights**

Ilium was an asari world, and yet not an asari world. While no one could deny that the asari were a signifigant presence on the planet, Ilium was technically not a part of Council space. This had many benefits, especially for the many corporations looking to operate outside Council regulations. Slave trade, widely condemned across the galaxy, could still be found on Ilium, usually under the more consumer friendly name of 'indentured servitude'. Most drugs and illicit substances were available, provided one had the proper licenses.

Despite all that, Ilium was no Omega. There were no dark alleys or pollution choking the air; it was a lush garden world. The world's ambient heat kept most of the ground settlements near the polar regions, but the most thriving populations lived near the equatorial territories in massive clusters of sweeping skyscrapers. There, far above the heat of the planet, the more fashionable of the galaxy's criminal element did their business.

For the most part, it was safe; the corporations couldn't do business if it was actively dangerous for consumers on the planet, after all. As long as a person kept his, her, or its wits about them, Ilium was well worth visiting.

Finn docked the Ulasomorf at the city of Kelruga, as per Liara's instructions. According to the information she had given him, Kelruga was one of the larger commercial centers, which would have made it easy for the missing agent to blend in to the crowds while she waited for pickup.

"Says here that there's a pretty hefty security force here." Jake told Finn as the docking clamps engaged. "The boss says it shouldn't be a problem, but to try and not piss anyone off."

"Hey, I'm the figure of sociality." Finn told him.

Jake chuckled. "Yeah, I remember how you dealt with that batarian on Omega."

"That was ... different. He had it coming to him."

"Uh huh."

Finn glared at the KEI-9 unit for a moment before saying, "Well, what about you? I seem to remember you having a bit of a problem in Kilikan's Casino."

Jake snorted. "It's not my fault I'm so damn sexy. Poor VI couldn't help but grow attatched to me!"

"Inside voices." Mannon said from her console. Turning to face Finn, she asked, "So, who's going with you?"

"Huh?"

"Who are you bringing with you to pick up Agent Krios?" Mannon asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "I hate to say it, but our group stands out a bit too much for us all to go."

"Ooh!" Jake hopped up in his chair and started bouncing on his hind legs, one of his front paws waving excitedly in the air. "Me me me me!"

Chuckling, Finn patted his friend on the head, saying, "Easy there; of course I'm bringing my big bro along. As for the others … well, how about you, Darsan, and Kyra?"

The intercom crackled to life. "Can't, sweetie. The engine still needs a little work."

Finn glanced at the intercom, asking, "Do you always eavesdrop on people?"

"Only the ones I like, sweetie. Don't have too much fun on Ilium, okay?"

As the intercom deactivated, Finn couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. "Okay then; just you, me, Darsan, and Jake. Eri, Xyn, and Kyra should be more than enough to keep an eye on the ship."

A grin crossed Finn's face. "Besides, it's been awhile since team J-27's been out and about."

"Team J-27." Mannon repeated, an amused look on her face. "Cute."

Finn tapped the intercom button on his console, saying, "Darsan, meet us in the cargo bay. Everyone else, hang tight for the moment.

"Meet you there, bro!" Without another word, Jake took off for the cargo bay.

Chuckling, Finn said, "Just like a puppy."

As he rose from his seat, Mannon asked, "Are sure it's a good idea to take him along?"

"He's my brother." Finn told her. "Besides, his sensors should help us spot trouble before it hits us. You know him as well as I do, Sherle."

"I know, but …" She glanced down the passage Jake had taken to the cargo bay before asking, "Has he seemed a bit strange to you lately?"

Finn thought about Jake's recent behavior. Other than his recent deja-vu regarding Javik and Liara, Jake seemed to be his usual jovial self.

"Nope." Finn said, shaking his head. "Can't say he has. Why? Have you noticed something?"

She fidgeted in her chair. "I don't know; ever since we joined with Liara, he's seemed a bit … absent-minded. Like his mind's been elsewhere."

"That's just Jake." Finn patted her on the arm, saying, "C'mon; we've got an agent to pick up."

Darsan and Jake were waiting near the departure door. Thankfully, Darsan had given up his highly-conspicuous suit, though as usual he refused to part with his hat.

"Excited; I'm ready for the mission, Finn!"

"Easy there." Finn said, patting Darsan's massive arm. "It's just a pickup. According to Liara, there shouldn't be any trouble."

"As far as she knows." Jake said, wagging his tail end. "C'mon, Finn! Let's go!"

Finn threw up his arms in mock offense, saying, "Okay! Fine! We're going!"

Kelruga was a beautiful city. They say that it was built at the optimal altitude for the residents to enjoy the most spectacular sunsets. As the sun slowly fell below the horizon, a multitude of colors and light shone across the reflective faces of the skyscrapers high above them. It was quite a sight.

As they walked down the docking bay, they were met by an asari woman in a nice dress. Of more immediate note, however, were the two security mechs flanking her.

"Hello there!" Finn said, giving the woman her best smile.

"Greetings, Finn Cresste." The woman replied pleasantly, bowing slightly. "Your docking fee has been processed and accepted. Welcome to Kelruga, the crown jewel of Ilium."

Glancing out the window at the magnificent cityscape, Finn commented, "I can see why it got that name."

Shaking his head, he said, "Anything you'd recommend we see?"

"That depends on what you're looking for." She told him, smiling. "If you're looking for a place to stay, The Andraste's Arms Hotel is considered the best in the galaxy. If you need a drink and some companionship, you couldn't do better than the Jumi's Tear. If you're looking for entertainment, may I recommend The Bowerstone Pub; The Siren's Call are performing there at the moment."

"Siren's Call, eh?" Finn said, scratching his chin. "I caught part of their act on Neukaara. Wouldn't mind seeing them again."

"Very good, sir." She said, standing aside. One of the lines on the floor began to glow, a small beacon of light slowly starting forward. "Follow the beacon, and it will lead you there, sir."

"Thanks, Miss …"

"Miirial."

Finn bowed his head respectfully. "Thanks for the help, Miss Miirial. A good day to you."

"And to you as well, sir."

As she walked off, Mannon poked Finn in the ribs, saying, "Watch it, buster, or I'll tell Kyra."

"I'm just being polite." Finn said defensively. Shaking his head, he said, "C'mon; let's follow it."

"Concerned; what about the mission?" Darsan asked.

"We've got some time. Besides …" Finn checked his omni-tool again to verify the information. "The Bowerstone Pub's our meet-up location with Agent Krios."

The little beacon led the group out of the station and into the city proper. The town proper was just as lovely in its own way; asari architecture was full of sweeping pillars, smooth walls, and buildings that seemed to flow naturally from the ground. Several large parks had been established. Most were filled with native asari plantlife: graceful Jubaal trees with sweeping blue branches covered with amber leaves, robust genki bushes with wildly colorful blooms, and healthy paena vines growing on the trees, nearby buildings, and pretty much anything else that sat still for too long. It wasn't all asari, however; one park, admittedly smaller than the others, was populated by oak and pine trees, while another had trees that looked to be made entirely of some crystalline substance.

"Surprised; hargast trees." Darsan said as they passed the crystal forest. "Healthy grove, too. Impressed; they aren't easy to maintain."

"I'll bet." Jake commented. "Not careful about how you prune a branch, and it'll take your arm with it."

As they continued walking, Mannon let out a sigh. "It's hard to believe, isn't it?"

Finn nodded in agreement. "Definitely worth the trip."

"No, I mean us." She said, gesturing to me and Darsan. "The three of us-"

"Ahem." Jake said, his cartoon face narrowing its eyes at her.

Blushing, Mannon corrected, "The four of us, I mean. If you told me a few months ago that I'd be on Ilium today on a secret mission for the Shadow Broker, I'd have thought you were nuts."

Finn chuckled and patted her on the arm, saying, "It feels like ages since we were all on J-27."

A silence fell over the group for a few minutes before Darsan said, "Curious; do you miss it?"

"J-27?" Finn asked, surprised. He considered it for a few moments before saying, "Yeah, I guess I do. A little, anyway. Only having to worry about keeping the station together, spending most of my days reading or tinkering with the Gradisian … it was simple."

"I spent most of my days just staring at that damn communications console." replied Mannon. "I swear, J-27 was placed at the perfect spot to avoid transmissions."

"Cheerful; oh, that was intentional." Darsan told her. "I was a bit surprised when the Alliance expressed interest in setting up a listening post. I'm sure they had their reasons; be damned if I knew what they were."

Jake laughed, saying, "And now we're super secret agents, out to stop the Illusive Man and his Reaper army!"

Finn bowed down as he continued walking and knocked Jake on the top of his monitor, saying, "Say it a little louder, why don't you? I think a few people didn't hear you."

Chuckling, Jake bounded out of Finn's reach and started walking beside Mannon.

"Contemplative; still, it will be good when we can start rebuilding."

Finn and Jake nodded in agreement, but Mannon seemed surprised. "You're going to rebuild the station?"

"Matter-of-factly; of course! Bigger and better than ever. I had a massive insurance policy on that junk-heap. Don't you worry; the money's all safe and waiting for us to get through with this whole mess about the Illusive Man. Excited; just imagine it! A proper station, with levels and gravity lifts; I've been looking for some sponsers for proper hotel and restaurant facilities. We'll all have proper rooms too; no more having to sleep in the workshop."

"Amen to that." Finn said, rubbing his back.

"And this time, you'll both be full partners." Darsan promised them. "We'll run the station as a team!"

"You can keep the administration stuff." Finn told him. "I'll stay with maintence, thank you very much."

"You, Jake, and Kyra?" Mannon asked curiously.

Finn blushed, saying, "We'll see."

"Satisfied; then it's settled; I'll handle the administration duties, Finn and Jake will head the Maintence Team, and Mannon, you can head up the security team."

"Head of station security, huh?" Mannon mused, a smile crossing her face. "I think I could handle that."

"Assuringly; it'll be great, Mannon, just you wait."

The Bowerstone Pub was a fairly large establishment. The outer façade had been designed to look much like that of an old-earth pub; stone walls, thatch roof, wood planking on the walls. There were even horse stalls, used mostly for parking. An old wooden sign hung beside the main entrance depicting a knight riding a pig.

Inside, however, was pretty much your standard pub; a large bar dominated the wall to the right of the entrance, a small stage covering the left. The space in between was filled with tables and chairs.

The pub was about half-full at the moment. Most people were sitting near the stage, no doubt there to watch the Siren's Call. As they walked in the door, however, the bartender glanced at them and said in a firm voice, "No bots allowed."

"Excuse me?" Finn asked, glancing at Jake.

"No bots allowed." The bartender repeated. This is a pub, not a garage."

Jake tugged at Finn's pants, saying, "It's okay, man. I wanted to have a look around anyway."

"Cool. We'll meet up at that fountain beside the crystal park, okay?"

"Gotcha."

As Jake took off, the rest of the group headed into the pub. As Finn and Mannon sat down at a table roughly in the middle of the establishment, a human server with a bit of a rough look about him hurried over with a stool for Darsan.

"Welcome to the Bowerstone Pub." He said, pulling a small notepad from his belt. "What'llya have?"

"What's on tap?" Finn asked curiously.

"Asari Honey mead, Surlie Brothers Wine, and Ale."

"Just Ale?" Mannon asked, raising an eyebrow at the bartender.

"It tastes like old boots, but it'll get you drunk. A fine choice for the thrifty pub-goer just here for the show." The server sniffed, a rather contemptuous look in his eyes as he looked at the crowd surrounding the stage.

Shaking his head, Finn asked, "Got any crystallic, by any chance?"

"Not a chance. If you're looking for something exotic, though, I've got a bottle of Xemptarian Wine. Gotta warn you, though; packs a hell of a punch."

"Sounds fine to me." Finn glanced at the others, saying, "What about you guys?"

"I'll try the mead." Mannon said, nodding at the server.

"One Xemptarian Wine and one Asari Honey Mead." The man glanced at Darsan, asking, "And a Visproy Spritzer for you?"

"Surprised; you read my mind."

Chuckling, the server said, "We get a lot of your people here. Best Spritzer on Ilium, they say."

"Eagerly; Indeed? Then I shall await it with great anticipation."

As the server hurried away, Finn glanced through the other pub-goers. Most were human or asari, though there were a few salarians right next to the stage, and a rather annoyed looking yahg sipping from a tankard that was as big as Finn's head.

Finn quickly looked away; the yahg weren't too happy with anyone they thought might be disrespecting them, and unfortunately, they interpreted pretty much any action as one of disrespect.

"Did Liara say when she was going to get here?" Mannon asked curiously.

"No." Finn replied. "According to Liara's notes, though, Agent Krios would know when we were docked. She's probably on the way now."

The server came back in a few minutes with their drinks. Finn raised an eyebrow at the small glass of blood-red liquid the server set in front of him, but the sight of what looked like a ice-cream sundae with a massive curly-straw sticking out of the top startled any other question from his mind, other than, "The hell?"

"Curious; you've never had a Visproy Spritzer before?" Darsan asked them.

Mannon glanced at the crystalline bowl in front of her with a hint of disappointment. "I wish I had."

"Informative; one scoop chocolate, one scoop vanilla, one scoop cherry, drenched in a whipped cream liquor and whipped cream with chopped nuts, all topped with an authentic cherry." Darsan picked up the cherry with two massive fingers and slipped it into one of his mouth slits. His eyes closed a moment later, a look Finn could only describe as ecstasy in his eyes. "Delighted; delicious!"

Shaking his head, Finn lifted the tiny glass and raised it to his mouth. The intense smell of alcohol coming from the liquid immediately made his eyes water. Closing his eyes, he took the tiniest of sips from the glass.

It wasn't too bad at first; the wine had a strange flavor that Finn couldn't place; fruity, but he could quite determine what kind of fruit. There was another flavor there, though; something else, something that could only be described as primal, powerful. When it hit, Finn's eyes flew open. While there was no alcoholic kick, it felt to Finn like the universe was in a wild spin.

Feeling extremely light-headed, Finn managed to set the glass down without spilling it and immediately let his head hit the table.

"Finn!" Mannon's voice sounded startled.

Finn felt someone pat him roughly on the back, followed by the server's voice saying, "Give him a minute or two, and he'll be fine. If they don't pass out in the first few seconds, they never do."

"What the hell was that?" was what Finn wanted to ask. As he opened his mouth, however, all that came out was a blue-green mist. Once it was gone, Finn felt his disorientation start fading away.

As he lifted his head from the table, Mannon asked, "Are you okay?"

"I think so." He managed, still feeling a bit light-headed. "I think … something to eat …"

"Ah, good thinking." The server said, whipping out his notebook again. "Never drink on an empty stomach, that's what I always say. What'llya have?"

By the time they gave their orders, Finn felt more or less like his usual self. Still, he had the presence of mind to order a glass of water with his sandwich; there was no way he was touching the xemptarian wine again.

Something bumped against the back of his chair. He glanced back to see a small human woman whose face was mostly obscured in her hood.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, bowing politely. "I'm just so clumsy today."

"Not a problem." Finn told her.

As the woman moved away, Mannon asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Finn said, waving it off. "Just … didn't expect the wine to do that. Yours okay?"

"Mmm-hmm." She took another sip from her bowl. Finn could smell the scent of honey coming from the amber liquid.

"I've always been partial to the mead myself." Agent Krios said before taking a sip of her own bowl.

If Finn had been drinking something, he would've spit it out. "Agent Krios?"

She looked identical to the hologram Liara had shown Finn; red scales that went blood-red around her throat, slender athletic build, and jet black eyes.

"Please, call me Hylia." She bowed her head to each of the group in turn before returning her gaze to Finn. "I'm sorry if I startled you; I'm just used to being quiet, I guess."

"It's fine." Finn told her. "We're here for you, after all."

"Excellent. Well, should we be on our way?"

"On your way?" The server said as he returned, our food in tow. "You're leaving?"

"Sudden change in our schedule." Finn said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry, but could we get all of that to go?"

"Well, sure, but …" The server seemed a bit flustered. "You'll miss Siren's Call."

Finn activated his omni-tool and paid for the meal, saying, "We'll have to catch them some other time."

The server seemed more than confused, but he hurried off and returned a few moments later with a few food and drink containers. As he poured the group's drinks into the to-go cups, Darsan asked, "Curious; why must we leave now?"

"Believe me." Hylia told them, "Auntie Liara will want to see the information I found immediately."

With food and drinks in tow, Finn and company left the Bowerstone Pub and made their way back to the docking bay. Finn couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed; he had hoped to see a bit more of the city during their stay. Still, at least the mission went off without a hitch.

Remembering Jake, Finn activated their two-way communicator and said, "Yo, Jake; we met up with Krios a bit early. Better start heading back."

"You got it, bro."

Hylia glanced at him curiously. "Jake?"

"I'll explain when we get back to the Ulasomorf." Finn told her.

As they walked towards the bay where the Ulasomorf was docked, they were met by Miirial and her two security mechs.

"Hello again." Finn said cheerily as they approached.

To his surprise, the security mechs lifted their pistols and aimed straight at the group.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Finn asked, "What the hell? What's going on here?"

"I am sorry for the inconvenience sir." The asari stepped forward and activated some kind of hand-scanner. As she scanned Mannon, she continued, "We just received reports of a break-in at the Bridgemont Museum. Apparently, the thief made off with the Creator's Tear."

"The Creator's Tear?" Finn asked as the asari moved on to Darsan.

"A valuable jewel found in the core of the moon of Dresnu. Apparently, the inside of the jewel shows the way to the lost treasure of Matriarch Astoria."

"So what's this 'Creator's Tear look like?" Mannon asked curiously as Miirial started scanning Finn.

She stopped as the scan focused on Finn's waist. Her smile dropping from her face, Miirial suddenly reached into Finn's right pocket and pulled out a glittering tear-shaped blue jewel about the size of a golf-ball.

"Like this." She said grimly.


	4. Chapter 4 - Target if Opportunity

Chapter 4

**Target of Opportunity**

"I'm telling you, I don't know how it got there!" Finn insisted.

Miirian shook her head, muttering, "If I had a credit every time I heard that …"

After the discovery of the Tear of the Creator, he and the others had been quickly escorted to the nearest security station. The others had been released when it was clear that they weren't involved. As the guy caught with the jewel in his pocket, however, Finn wasn't so lucky. Now he was in a tiny room sitting in an uncomfortable chair across the table from Security Officer Miirian.

"I'm telling you, I didn't steal anything. I didn't even go to the museum! We went straight to the Bowerstone Pub and back. Nowhere else!"

"I know." Miirian told him, crossing her arms. "We reviewed the security footage. You may not have stolen the jewel, but having it in your possession … well, you know what they say; possession is the law."

Raising an eyebrow, Finn asked, "I thought it was 'Possession is nine-tenths of the law'?"

"Not on Ilium." Miirian let out a sigh and leaned over the table. "Look, I'm not stupid; I know you didn't steal the jewel yourself. Just tell us who you're working with, and you'll get a reduced sentence."

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "I'm not working with anyone! I'm just a maintenance guy."

"Mister Cresste." Miirian said, rubbing her eyes. "We are aware of who you are, you know. I doubt there's a person in the galaxy who hasn't heard about your little stunt with the Council. Since you've never bothered changing your name, we've been able to trace your life all the way back to the Anderson Academy on Earth … everything, including your time on Omega. Will you still claim you're no thief?"

"That was different." Finn insisted. "The Blue Suns are just thugs."

"Thugs with wide connections, many of which are currently keeping an eye out for you. Something about destroying a priceless collection of antique books."

Flushing, Finn said, "They kidnapped my friend."

She walked around the table, saying, "Believe me, Mister Cresste, I've no love of the Blue Suns. Though they'd prefer being called mercenaries, I agree they're little more than a gang of thugs, just the Blood Pack or the Saints, or Ilium's own Eclipse. When I heard you and your friends on Omega robbed them blind, I practically cheered. That's the problem."

She put her hands on the back of Finn's chair and leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "You were the leader. You put a team together, came up with a plan, then infiltrated the Blue Suns most secure hideout and stole a third of their credits. This sort of thing wouldn't be the first time for you, and I've no doubt that you have accomplices. Tell me who they are, and you might get out of prison in time to enjoy your twilight years."

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "Fine, you got me. I'm working with the Shadow Broker."

She stared at him for a long moment before chuckling and standing up straight. "Tough nut, huh? Well, maybe some time in a cell will convince you we mean business. Take him to Cell 4-A."

Without another word, the security bots hauled Finn to a jail cell and threw him inside. A repulsion force-field hummed to life moments later, trapping him inside.

"Hey!" Finn shouted, standing as close to the door to his cell as he could without setting the repulsion field off, "Don't I get a phone call or something?"

The security mechs stomped away, oblivious to his request. Sighing, Finn sat down on the cot that served as the cell's only furniture. The room was essentially a box with a force-field cover. He might have been able to hack the controls from inside the cell, but the security officers had locked out his omni-tool was locked out. "Smart move." thought Finn somewhat bitterly.

Part of him was still reeling at his situation; for once, everything had been going according to plan. How did that jewel end up in his pocket? He didn't even know where the Bridgeford Museum was located. He couldn't bring himself to be surprised that they didn't believe him; he supposed the 'I didn't do it' defense wasn't as convincing as the fact that he had the jewel.

He wasn't terribly worried; Liara would surely come to their aid when she learned of their situation. It was the embarrassment that bothered him; his first assignment as an agent of the Shadow Broker, and it had gone to hell. At least his friends had been released, even if it did leave him quite alone.

Of course, there was someone he could still talk to. Sighing, Finn tapped the side of his head and said, "Jake, you there?"

"Right here, buddy. Where are you? They've got a troop of those damn security mechs watching the Ulasomorf like hawks."

"Yeah, about that." Finn said, blushing despite no one was around to see his embarrassment. "I've run into a little problem."

"Problem?"

"They think I'm a thief."

"A thief? Why in the hell would they think you're a thief?"

"Because they found some rare jewel in my pocket."

A moment of silence passed before Jake asked, "You didn't really steal it, right?"

"Of course not!" Finn said indignantly. "I have no idea why I had it!"

"Well, it didn't just appear there."

Finn considered that possibility for a moment, but quickly shook his head. Teleportation technology was extremely unreliable. He thought back to his admittedly limited experience on Ilium; most of it was just walking.

"Hang on." Finn said, snapping his finger. "That girl bumped into me in the Bowerstone Pub."

"So?"

"So if she was a skilled pickpocket, she could've slipped the jewel into my pocket then."

There was another momentary pause from Jake's end. "Okay, so she steals a valuable jewel and then plants it on you to … what? Even if you got it past security, there's no guarantee she'd be able to get unto the Ulasomorf."

"Yes, because our security is so top notch." Sighing, Finn said, "We'd be lucky if Eri and Xyn could slip out of their own little world long enough to notice, and Kyra's too occupied with her work. We're talking a skilled thief here, Jake; she probably had a plan."

The repulsion field sealing him in the cell died with a sudden fizzle. The security mech guarding the door fell to the ground, his rifle hitting the floor and clattering as it bounced off the floor of Finn's cell.

Finn started to grab the rifle, but quickly caught himself. "Interesting. My cell door just opened."

"Can you get out?" Jake asked.

"Probably."

"So go already!"

"Go where?" Finn asked. "They're guarding the Ulasomorf. The last thing Liara needs is for my face to be plastered everywhere."

A loud sigh of annoyance was Finn's reply, but it wasn't from his two-way radio with Jake; this voice was feminine and young-sounding.

"Come on!" The voice coaxed. "Don't you want to get back to your ship?"

"Huh? Who are you? Hey, Finn, is someone in there with-"

The transmission cut off abruptly. The intruding voice said, "Ah, that's better. Now, back to what I was asking; do you want to stay in there forever?"

Finn stood and approached his cell door, saying, "Not if I end up dragging half of Ilium's security behind me. What did you do to Jake?"

"Don't get so worked up; I just jammed his frequency so we could enjoy a conversation without interruptions. Oh, don't worry about security. I've scrambled every system in this station."

Crossing his arms, Finn asked, "And why would you do that?"

"Out of the kindness of my heart, of course. Why, if an innocent boy like you had to spend his best years in the big house, I doubt I'd get a lick of sleep tonight."

"I'll bet." Finn replied dryly.

Chuckling the voice said, "And if you were to grab the Creator's Tear from the lockup which I've taken the liberty of unlocking, I'd be mighty appreciative. They've stored it in a Gilman Case."

"A what?"

"It's a little electrically sealed box with an in-built homing device. You're looking for the one marked C-32. Don't bother trying to hack it open; I'll show you how to disable the homing beacon once you get it. Just bring it out with you, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Uh-huh." Finn said, glancing around for what his mysterious benefactor was using to spy on him. "And my friends?"

"Oh, don't worry; once the Creator's Tear is in my possession, I'll make sure security knows you and your friends were simply victims of circumstance."

"Or you'll leave us holding the bag."

"It's a possibility. Still, what choice do you have?"

She had a point; it would be days before Liara could respond to the problem, and that put Agent Krios at risk. They needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

Sighing, Finn said, "Fine. You have a deal. Any chance you can unlock my omni-tool?"

"Easy."

Finn's omni-tool flared to life for a brief moment.

"Now get moving!" said his unseen benefactor. "Time's a-wasting."

"Who are you?" Finn asked as he stepped out of his cell.

"Uh-uh. Unlike some people, I don't go blabbling my name everywhere."

"Excuse me?"

"Your ship is still registered under the name Finn Cresste. You're either an idiot, or not bothered about keeping a low profile."

"I'm not a …"

"Guard coming from your right."

Finn quickly hugged the wall. Sure enough, moments later a turian guard ran past the adjoining corridor.

Once the guard was gone, Finn said, "We're in the Terminus Systems. What's it matter if people know who I am?"

"If I was you, I'd be more worried about the people outside the Terminus Systems who know who you are. Turn right here."

Finn peered down the hallway before turning right, just to be sure. He was out of the cell block now, which meant there were likely to be more security officers kicking around.

"How much further?" Finn whispered.

"Not much. Don't worry about the guards; they're … preoccupied. Third door on your left."

Finn looked at the door she had indicated. It was slightly ajar.

"They leave the lockup room open?" Finn asked curiously.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence from the other end of the line. "Not usually."

Finn listened intently at the door. He could hear two people talking, women from the sound of it.

"Quarian." Finn breathed. Kyra had been teaching him some of her native language; not enough to understand them completely, but enough to catch a few words. The word 'goto' kept popping up; from what little context Finn was able to ascertain, it was the name of something … or someone.

The voices suddenly fell silent. Before Finn could back away, the door was torn open, revealing two quarian women in environmental suits. One of them held a small box in her hands with a electronic seal. 'C-32' had been printed on top of the box.

"Whoa!" Finn said, backing away as they pointed pistols at him. "Easy there! I'm-"

"Cresste!"

Finn turned to see Miirian and a turian security officer staring at him from the end of the corridor, their hands going for their pistols.

"Ah, crap." Finn ducked into the lockup room and quickly shut the door. He quickly activated his Omni-tool and hacked the door lock; it wouldn't hold forever, but it would keep them distracted for a little while.

It wasn't until he heard the filtered sound of someone clearing her throat that Finn remembered the quarians. Turning, he found both of them still pointing their guns at him.

"Cresste." said the quarian in the purple suit, sounding amused. "You're Finn Cresste."

"Ah … yeah." Finn replied, rubbing the back of his head. "You've heard of me?"

The two quarians immediately began arguing in their native language. They were speaking far too quickly for him to keep up, but he managed to catch a few words.

"… with us … trouble … no way."

"He is … could be useful. Besides … never forgive …"

Finn glanced back as someone, presumably Miirian and her turian friend, began pounding on the door. "Uh, I don't mean to rush you, ladies, but …"

The blue quarian seemed to capitulate. With a nod, she hopped up into the open vent.

"Stay close to us." The purple suited quarian told him. "And don't worry; we do this sort of thing all the time."

As she climbed into the vent after her friend, Finn heard his mysterious ally say, "Isn't this interesting?"

Finn opened his mouth to respond, but she quickly stopped him. "Don't say anything; I don't want them knowing I'm here. Just keep following them for now."

Shaking his head, Finn leapt up and caught the edge of the vent. After a moment of scrambling for a better hold, he pulled himself into the vent and followed after the two quarians.


	5. Chapter 5 - Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves

Chapter 5

**Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves**

Vent shafts are, with very few exceptions, not very hospitable locations. Typically, they are very narrow, either far too cold or hot depending on the needs of the building tenants, and are definitely not designed for people to go crawling around inside of them.

As Finn crawled after the two quarian thieves, his mind was racing. Who were they? He guessed they weren't working with the woman who had sprung him from his cell, but that just made the matter even more complicated. Why were both parties after the Creator's Tear?

More importantly, what did this mean for him and his team? In the old days, he wouldn't have spared it a thought, but they were his team, his friends. His actions could have adverse affects on them, and he didn't like that thought one bit. Whatever happened, he needed to make sure they weren't blamed for whatever was going on.

"Hey." Whispered the quarian in the purple suit. "You still back there?"

"Yeah." He whispered back. "Just thinking. Who are you people anyway?"

"Archaeologists."

Finn had to stifle a laugh. "Really."

"Yeah, really. The Creator's Tear is a quarian artifact; we're simply bringing it back home."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Whispered Finn's mysterious benefactor.

The purple quarian continued, "It's one of thousands of artifacts from the days quarians roamed the stars. The galaxy traded the history of my people as little more than knick-knacks. Our little company simply wishes to take back what is ours."

"Even if it's against the law?"

She chuckled. "You're one to talk after the stunt you pulled off with the Council. Is it true you once robbed the Blue Suns?"

Finn's cheeks went red, and not just from the cold air rushing through the vents. "I didn't think anyone outside Omega knew of that."

"They do know. Word is Massani's offering a million credits to whoever brings you in."

"Alive?"

"Two-million if alive."

An uncomfortable thought ran through Finn's head. "Is that why you're letting me tag along?"

She laughed again. "The Blue Suns can go suck a fat one, as far as I'm concerned. As for why I'm helping you … well, you can thank your friend Kyra for that."

"Kyra put you up to this?" Finn asked, surprised.

"Not exactly."

"Quiet!" Whispered the blue-suited quarian. She appeared to listen intently for a moment before saying, "Turning right here."

As the blue-suited quarian disappeared around the right corner, the purple-suited quarian said, "You can call me Violet, by the way."

"That doesn't sound very quarian." Finn commented.

She shrugged, saying, "I guess not." Without another word, she turned the corner. As Finn followed, the bottom of the vent suddenly gave way to a steep slope. With a small yelp, he slid down the vent until something soft and warm and purple brought his momentum to a halt.

"Hey!"

His cheeks burning, Finn quickly backed away from Violet as much as he could, mumbling apologies.

"Just watch it, lover-boy." She teased. Turning back to her friend, Violet asked, "How much longer, Azure?"

The blue-suited quarian replied, "Almost there." With a small spark, the vent cover she was working on fell away. She caught it deftly and pulled it back inside the vent before slipping out of the vent.

"Okay." Azure told them. "We're clear."

One by one, they slipped out of the vent into what looked like a disused storeroom for a restaurant. Boxes and bags of various dry cooking goods filled the room in a more or less organized fashion.

Popping his back, Finn asked, "Not that I'm complaining, but how is the police department connected to this place?"

"Huh? Oh, the vents. The City's infrastructure runs on a massive interconnected set of vents; it helps regulate the city temperature. Kelruga's a bit closer to the surface than most settlements, so keeping everything cool's a bit more of an issue here."

"Makes sense." Finn reasoned. "Still, it seems weird that we didn't run into any kind of security measures."

"You're welcome." Sapphire told him.

Violet put her arm around Sapphire, saying, "Best hacker in the 'verse, as far as I'm concerned. We would've had the Creator's Tear if it hadn't been for …"

The door to the room began to open. Violet and Sapphire ducked behind several crates while Finn hid behind a stack of compressed cubes he guessed to be either sugar or flour.

"I'm tellin' ya." said a grumpy male voice as the door opened. "Everything's accounted for. I check it myself, every day!"

"Unimpressed; I will be the judge of that."

Three sets of footsteps entered the room, one making the typical shuffle Finn associated with the elcor. "Probably the business owner." Finn reasoned. There was something else, though; a very slight beeping sound just barely in Finn's hearing range. As the steps grew nearer Finn, the beeping intensified.

"Curious; what is this?"

"Ah, Jalapeno Salt. I import it straight from Earth. Nothing beats it for flavor, far as I'm concerned."

"Interesting." said another voice, this one female.

"Firm; indeed. Thank you, Mister Jecht; you may return to your duties."

"I … er, sure. Let me know if you need anything, boss."

As the man closed the door, Finn heard the elcor move toward him. "Amused; Jalapeno Salt. What will they think of next?"

Without warning, one massive elcor hand knocked into the stack, sending the compressed cubes falling on Finn. With a yelp, he leapt back, standing in the process.

Darsan and Mannon looked at him, the latter with an amused look on her face.

"Oh my." Mannon said, turning to Darsan. "Looks like we have a Jalapeno Salt thief on our hands."

"Amused; Indeed. I shall have to call the authorities."

"Darsan? Mannon?" Finn said, somewhere between disbelieving and completely caught off-guard. "What are you doing here?"

"Tracking you." Mannon tapped his hand, saying, "The Shadow Broker had a tracer implanted on you just in case this kind of thing happened."

"But the way that guy was talking …" Finn turned to Darsan, asking, "How did you trick him into thinking you were the owner?"

"Delighted; because I am the owner. Surely you didn't think that J-27 was my only business venture. I bought the Bowerstone Pub twenty years ago. It's returns are modest, but they do make an excellent Visproy Spritzer … after I taught them how, of course."

Finn couldn't think of any other response than to laugh. "That's awesome."

"With false modesty; I do my best. Curious; but what about you, Finn? How did you get out of there?"

"Oh, that was Violet and Azure here …" Finn said, motioning to where the quarians had hidden. "Come on out, you two; these are my friends."

After a moment, Mannon walked over to the crates and peered behind them.

"There's no one back there." She told him.

"What?" Finn hurried over to the crates; sure enough, there was no sign of the quarian thieves.

Sighing, Finn muttered, "Great. There goes the Creator's Tear."

Alarmed, Mannon asked, "You brought that thing with you?"

"No, I …" Sighing, Finn said, "This is gonna take a few minutes."

"Resigned; I'm sure it will. Well, let's take it upstairs; you have to be hungry after how long they held you, and Kyra already ate your sandwich from earlier."

The Bowerstone Pub was almost empty. A glance out the front window showed Night was fast approaching.

The man Darsan had called 'Jecht' was tending bar. He gave Finn an odd glance as the group approached.

"Now where did you come from?" He asked Finn curiously.

"The stork, according to my mother." Finn replied a bit testily. "Any chance of another BLT?"

With a glance at Darsan, the man nodded and quickly walked to a set of double-doors Finn assumed led to the kitchen.

As the group sat at a table near the bar, Mannon said, "Okay, before you get started, I need to ask you something … and please don't get offended. Did you have something to do with the theft of the Creator's Tear?"

"Of course I …" Flushing, Finn said, "No, Sherle. I didn't."

She stared at him for a moment before nodding and saying, "Good enough for me."

"Agreeing; and me. Now what happened in the station? Did they grill you?"

"Yeah." Finn replied. "Not that I can blame them. I told them the truth, but apparently the law works a bit differently on Ilium. After they threw me in a cell, I …"

The voice in my ear whispered, "Don't tell them about me."

"What?" Finn said, surprised. "Why not?"

"Finn?" Mannon asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Stop talking to me … and don't tell them about me. My family's made it a point to be the best thieves, not the most infamous. If you want my continued help, leave me out of your little story."

Now even Darsan was staring at him. "Worried; are you okay, Finn?"

Shaking his head, Finn said, "Sorry; just kind of zoned out there. Anyway, I managed to get out of my cell. As I was trying to find my way out, I ran into two quarians in old envirosuits. Turns out they were after the Creator's Tear."

"Do they have it?" asked Mannon.

"Yeah. It's in some kind of security box, but they managed to get it."

"Curious; how do you know the Creator's Tear is actually in the box."

Finn opened his mouth to respond when he realized he didn't actually have an answer for that. Fortunately, Mannon had already reached her own conclusion.

"Makes sense. Heck, that might have been their plan all along; plant it on you, then steal it back while their busy dealing with you." Shaking her head, Mannon asked, "So they helped you escape?"

"Plaintively; I wish I had known that before I put down the money for bail." Darsan told Finn.

"Bail?" It suddenly occurred to Finn why Miirian had been so surprised to see him out of his cell. Smacking himself on the forehead, he muttered, "They were coming to let me out. Perfect."

Shaking his head, he said, "I can't imagine it'll take long for security to figure out where we went. We need a plan … but first, I think we should send the Ulasomorf back to Trident. The last thing we need is for Agent Krios to be in danger because of this mess."

"You're concern is touching, Finnegan, but I can take care of myself."

Finn jumped, as did Mannon; Hylia was sitting at the table with them as though she had been there all along. He hadn't seen her approach and sit down at all, and his perception was still adrenaline augmented at the moment.

"Where did you …" Finn stopped himself. From the way she raised her eye-ridge and slyly smiled, it was clear he'd never get a clear answer. Sighing, he said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you or anything."

"I understand completely." She replied. "The information I have is critical, and you want to make sure I have a chance to get it to Liara before Cerberus tries to track me down. Of course, you're assuming Cerberus is aware of me, but that's beside the point."

"I …" Finn sighed again and said, "Yeah, good point."

"Indeed." another small smile graced her face. "Besides, the Ulasomorf's still under lockdown. You did register it under your real name, after all."

"I get it!" Finn said, throwing up his hands in mock anger. "I'm a dumbass for using my real name. I'll think of an alias once we get out of this mess. For now, can we stick to trying to figure out a way out of this mess?"

"Pointedly; you could just turn yourself in and tell security the truth." Darsan suggested.

Mannon let out a hollow laugh. "I get the impression that they're not interesting in the truth as much as having someone to blame."

"I got that too." Finn admitted. Scratching his head, he said, "What we need is proof."

The voice in his ear said, "Like video footage of our friends Violet and Azure sneaking into the lockup. Footage I will be more than happy to provide as long as you get me the Creator's Tear."

"What?!"

Everyone at the table stared at Finn. Remembering himself, Finn coughed and said, "What about if we get the Creator's Tear back?"

"Intruiged;" said Darsan, "They might be more receptive to the truth if we return the stolen object. After all, what kind of real thief would return something that valuable?"

Mannons tared at them for a moment before saying, "You're both nuts, you know that? How are we going to track down the real thieves?"

Glancing up at a black orb hanging from the ceiling, Finn said, "We do it the old fahsioned way."

"Huh?"

Finn stood up and hurried over to the bar. "Hey, Mister …"

The bartender nodded at him, saying, "Mikal Jecht. You can just call me Mikal, though; everyone does. What'll ya have?"

"Can I take a look at the footage from your security cameras?"

Raising an eyebrow suspiciously at Finn, Mikal warned, "That footage is automatically updated to a public server."

"That's fine." Finn assured him. "I just need to look at it."

Mikal glanced at Darsan, who said, "Firmly; Do it."

Shrugging, Mikal dug around behind the counter for a minute before pulling out a small slightly smudged datapad with the image of a Knight riding a pig on the backside. "Here; you should be able to review the footage from here."

"Thanks." Finn brought the pad back to the table, already thumbing through the individual cameras to get a feel for where and where not the cameras were watching.

"Finn?" Mannon asked.

"Hang on." After passing over a few more of the feeds, he found a camera watching the Storeroom. From the angle, he could see behind the crates where Violet and Azure had hidden earlier.

"Okay." He said, setting the pad down so everyone could see it. "That's our angle; let's see where the real thieves went."

His finger traced around the timestream in the corner of the pad, rewinding the footage. He slowed the rewind to a more manageable level when he noticed footage with Darsan, Mannon, and Mikal.

"Here we go." He said, as the two quarians rewound to their hiding places. They watched as the footage began to play; once Finn was discovered, Violet nudged Azure, who immediately glanced at directly at the security camera. With a wave of her hand, the image went static. When the screen cleared, they were gone.

"Environment suits." Mannon said wonderingly. "Haven't seen one of those since the history vids back in school."

"Yeah, what is that about?" Finn asked curiously. History was never his strong suite.

"Long story." Hylia replied. "After the geth drove the quarians from their system, the quarians lived in a massive flotilla of ships. They never had particularly strong immune systems, and the clean environment of the ships pretty much killed what resistance they had. They ended up having to wear those suits pretty much all the time just to stay healthy."

Thinking back to how the helmets had been opaque, Finn said, "They're probably just wearing them as disguises now. At least that makes them easier to find."

Glancing at Mikal, Finn asked, "Hey, Mikal; is there another way out of the storeroom?"

"Not that I know of." Mikal replied as he polished a drinking glass. "Other than however in the nine hells you managed to sneak in."

"We used the vents." Finn paused to consider that for a moment before shaking his head. "No, that wouldn't make any sense; they were looking for this place."

Shrinking the image of the warehouse feed into a smaller window, he scanned through the other camera feeds for a moment before finding one looking at the door that led to the storage room. After matching the time of the feeds, he wasn't surprised to find that the camera watching the storage room door went out shortly before the camera in the storage room came back on.

"Resigned; That's that, then. They got away. Out the front door, clean and easy."

"Hang on." Finn muttered. "I know I saw a feed on the outer door."

After cycling through the feeds again, he found a video feed facing the main doors of the Bowerstone pub. With some amusement, he noticed the barker in front of the restaurant was dressed as a medieval fool, and not enjoying it much from the look of him. Putting all three feeds on screen, Finn ran the entire sequence again; the thieves cut the camera in the warehouse, then cut the camera in the main room, then … nothing. The outside camera recorded no one leaving the building.

"Now that's interesting." Mannon murmured. "Is there another way out of this building, Mikal?"

"No, lass." He told her. "Just the main entrance. Mind you, I didn't realize the vents were an option."

Darsan shuffled his feet. "Uncertain; maybe it's misdirection. You know, they used the vent, but screwed with the cameras because they knew someone would check."

"They singled out this place." Finn told him. "She was very specific on the directions. There was a plan here …"

Movement on the screen caught Finn's eyes; a group of women in somewhat gaudy dress were walking across the main room of the restaurant shortly before Finn and company came up from the store room.

"Quarians." Finn held up the pad so Mikal could see. "Who were they?"

Mikal squinted at the screen for a moment before saying, "Oh, that's Siren's Call. Their contract ended today. A shame; while I'll be glad back to usual business, they certainly were easy on the eyes."

Finn stared at the group. While they were certainly pleasant to watch ('bad Finn!' chastised a voice in Finn's head that sounded suspiciously like Kyra), it was their dress that caught his eye. Their clothes were very flashy, as one might expect from entertainers, but each member wore a different color.

"Of course." Finn whispered.

Mannon looked at him strangely. "Huh? What is it?"

Finn turned to Mikal again, asking, "Did you happen to hear any of their names?"

Scratching his head, Mikal said, "Give me a sec … yeah, I remember. The one in purple, she used to have a drink after dinner. Talked with me a bit; I tried to work my charm, but a lady like that's a bit beyond an old barkeep like me. She did tell me her name was Violet, though."

Finn, Mannon, and Darsan traded glances. While the species may have been different, they all realized they were thinking the exact same thing.

Mikal chuckled, adding, "Ironic, huh?"

"Yeah, something like that." Said Finn, kicking himself inwardly for not catching it earlier. Did they say where they were going?"

"Back to Rannoch, I think. They were just finishing up a tour." Chuckling again, Finn said, "Lady Violet seemed rather homesick. Imagine I'd be too if … hey, where are you going?"

Finn was already halfway to the door. With parting glances at Mikal, Mannon and Darsan hurried after him.

"Finn!" Mannon called out.

"No time!" He told her. "We have to catch them before they leave!"

Finn shoved the door open and promptly bumped into a batarian in blue combat armor.

"Hey! Watch it human!" The batarian growled, shoving Finn back.

"Watch yourself, b-" Finn's voice fell flat as he met the batarian's eyes. It's a common misconception that all batarians look alike, but Finn had spent enough time on Omega to notice the differences in key features … enough to know that the batarian was the same one who had tried to grab Jake during Finn's last visit to the outlaw station.

"Wait a minute …" The batarian said, his four eyes narrowing. "You're Finn Cresste."

"Not by choice." Finn muttered.


	6. Chapter 6 - Crazy Taxi

Chapter 6

**Crazy Taxi**

There are times when all the preparation in the world doesn't mean a thing; all the training, the practice, and meditation simply doesn't help deal with a situation. In such cases, you have one chance; blind luck.

Finn stood over the unconscious batarian, dumbfounded as to what happened. He was dimly aware of the rifle he was now holding in one hand, and that a stinging pain was running through his other hand.

After a few moments, he realized Mannon was shaking his shoulder. Blinking he turned to see her face. She looked impressed.

"C'mon." She told him, grabbing one of the batarian's arms. "Help me drag him inside before more of them show up.

"Alarmed; too late!" Darsan pointed a massive hand down the street, where a group of Blue Suns were running toward them.

Finn's mind quickly came back into focus. "C'mon!"

Without another word, he started running the other way down the street. There was a cry of panic from the crowd as one of the Blue Suns opened fire in their direction.

Finn's radio activated with a slight crackle, followed by Jake's voice. "Finn? Finn, are you there?"

"Not a good time!" Finn shouted as they continued to run.

"Oh, thank Glob! You scared the heck outta me, bro! What the heck is …"

"Not a good time!" A bullet ricochet off a nearby street sign as Finn and company fled through a parking lot. He tried a few of the car doors as they passed, but they were all locked.

"Can't you just shoot one of the locks?" Mannon asked, glancing behind them.

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Then we can get chased by the Blue Suns AND Security." Finn glanced around, continuing, "We need a cab, but I don't know how to call …"

A car landed right in front of their path, stopping them in their tracks. Finn raised his rifle, but the door opened to reveal the car was empty.

"Thank you for choosing Zuen-Tek Transportation."

Finn blinked; the voice of the cab computer was the same as the voice who had been speaking to him on Jake's channel.

As he hesitated, Mannon asked him, "What's the problem? Get in already!"

Shaking his head, he climbed into the car, Mannon following him shortly. By the time Darsan had climbed in the back, Finn heard someone shout, "There, in the cab!"

Finn slammed his door shut and said, "Take us somewhere. Anywhere. Just get us out of here!"

"Docking bay J-23." replied the woman, a hint of amusement just barely audible in her tone. "Please make sure all safety harnesses are secured while we take off."

The Blue Suns had begun to circle around the cab, which meant they caught the brunt of the blast as the cab's hover thrusters fired on full.

As the cab sped into motion, Finn breathed a sigh of relief. "Trouble, trouble, and more trouble; it's all we seem to run into these days."

"You're the one who didn't use an alias." Mannon told him.

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "Fine, I'll think up a fake name after we …"

The cab rocked as something hit it on the backside.

"What the …" Finn's fingers sped across the controls as he tried to figure out what had just happened. A screen displaying the rear camera feed appeared, showing two shuttles bearing the Blue Suns logo right behind them.

"Two Kodiak shuttles." Mannon observed, sounding a impressed. "Oh, they really like you, Finn."

Finn glared at her before turning his attention to the controls. "C'mon." He muttered, tapping at the console, "There's got to be a manual control on this thing somewhere."

A spark from the console made him yelp and jerk his hands back.

"Please refrain from attempting to access the controls." Said the woman's voice in a pleasant tone."

"I'm a pilot." Finn told it indignantly. "We're being chased."

The Cab suddenly dove straight down. It flew downward through multiple lanes of traffic, narrowly avoiding more than one car in the process. Mannon and Finn were fortunately strapped in, but poor Darsan was tossed about in the back compartment as the Cab spun and swerved.

"Terrified; we're going to crash!"

Finn wanted to comfort the elcor, but wasn't sure what to say.

The Cab abruptly pulled out of its descent into a district filled with towers and buildings still under construction. A quick glance at the rear camera feed showed that the Kodiak shuttles, though a little farther back than they had been before, were still hot on their trail.

The cab blasted through the construction zone and into the skeletal framework of what looked to be the beginnings of an impressive skyscraper. The Kodiaks followed them into the framework, but it didn't take long for the larger vessels to clip one of the beams, smashing one of its front-mounted machine guns into scrap.

Who or whatever was controlling the cab was no slouch, Finn begrudgingly admitted. She wove through the framework of the buildings with a skill and grace that even he had to view as impressive. Never once did they actually hit, scrape, or even bump into part of the construction. The same couldn't be said for their pursuers, however; Kodiak shuttles weren't known for being particularly maneuverable, and while the Blue Sun pilots were doing an impressive job keeping up, by the time the cab flew out of the skyscraper framework, one of the shuttles had smoke coming from the right-side rear engine, and only one had a functioning weapon.

They were flying over a series of warehouses. Even when building something as basic as warehouses, the asari architects managed to imbue their work with a sense of grace and beauty.

Unfortunately, Finn and his friends were in no position to get into sightseeing at the moment. The cab flew low to the ground, scarcely higher than street level. Had the area been populated, they would have surely hit something.

The Kodiaks didn't follow this time, no doubt unwilling to get into a chase in the narrow alleyways between buildings.

"Smart." Finn commented as the camera panned to keep an eye on them.

"Don't compliment the people trying to kill us." Mannon glanced back at Darsan, asking, "You still in one piece back there?"

Darsan let out a moan. He tried to sort out his limbs and stand for a moment before giving up. "Plaintively; I think I'll just stay sitting for now."

"Ten minutes until destination is reached." The cab voice said pleasantly.

"Thank you." Finn said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

The alleyways were perfect cover from their pursuers. Many were partially covered by nearby buildings, making it difficult to observe the cab as it sped through the gaps. They never remained hidden for long, though, and barely five minutes had passed before they reached the edge of the warehouse area, where a large open park had been constructed.

"Here we go." Mannon breathed, bracing herself as best she could in her seat.

The moment the cab flew out of the alleyways, the Kodiaks zoomed in on them like cats spotting a mouse. While they couldn't quite catch up with the cab, they were able to stay right behind them.

As a few shots pinged off the back of the car, Darsan said, "Nervously; we need cover!"

"Not far now." Finn told him, checking the city map. "The park's not that big."

"Hang on." Mannon said, her eyes on the rear-view screen. "They just opened their side door."

"What?" Finn looked at the camera and saw she was right. Several Blue Suns mercs were visible inside, one of which was holding something that looked like a heavy gun with a small dish on the end instead of a nuzzle. It fired off a strange blue pulse that fired too quickly to dodge.

The cab rocked slightly, but otherwise seemed unharmed.

"Grateful; they missed!"

"We felt it hit." Mannon argued. "Maybe it just didn't work?"

Finn started to agree with her when he realized the camera screen had frozen. He tapped a few controls, but there was no response from the console.

"Uh oh." Finn muttered as he tried to get the system unlocked. "Uh, guys? We've got a problem: the computer's fried."

"What?" Mannon tried a few controls. "The whole system looks to have seized up. It must've been some kind of ion pulse."

"Worried; then who's driving?"

Finn and Mannon looked at each other before looking out the front window. The cab was beginning to angle down towards the side of a skyscraper.

"Crap!" Finn grabbed the sides of the console, saying, "Mannon, help me get this off!"

Together, they managed to yank off the control panel. It was a bit of a mess, but Finn had a good idea of what he needed to do. As he started pulling wires, Mannon called out, "Finn!"

"I'm …" His eyes darted up mere seconds before the car crashed through a massive glass window.

The impact shook the car enough for Finn to drop the wires he was holding. As the car scraped across the floor of the room it now occupied, numerous crashes and shatterings could be heard that Finn could only wonder about. As the vehicle finally slid to a complete halt, Finn, Mannon, and Darsan sat in silence for a long moment before letting out a universal sigh of relief.

Quickly returning his attention to the controls, Finn picked up the wires he had dropped.

Mannon asked, "Can't we just get out of the cab?"

"The Blue Suns knocked us out on purpose; they'll be expecting us to leave on foot. Fortunately, I should be able to get us up and running in a minute or two."

"Worried; can you speed that up?"

"Are they behind us?" Finn glanced at the back of the vehicle, expecting Darsan to be staring out the back panel. To his surprise, the Elcor was staring straight ahead, through the front window.

A feeling of dread passed over Finn as he slowly turned his head around and looked out the front window. From the look of the room, the cab had crashed into some kind of art gallery. Most of the pieces were on the ground, presumably broken (Finn never was much for modern art), but it was the asari in yellow combat armor were staring at them with dumb-founded expressions that caught his eye.

"Oh lord." Finn quickly returned his attention to the controls and frantically started trying to get the cab's system to reboot.

"Finn, they're Eclipse." Mannon told him.

"I noticed that, thanks." Finn muttered. "Now shut up and let me work!"

One of the asari tapped the side of her head and said something that didn't make it through the walls of the cab. Whatever it was, Finn knew it couldn't be good.

With a final twist, the power systems in the cab died.

"Excellent. Mannon, help me get the panel back on while the system reboots."

Just as they managed to secure the panel back into place, a large lift in the back of the gallery opened, revealing about ten more Eclipse soldiers led by an asari in a night dress. She looked around at the gallery with a horrified expression before setting her sights on the cab.

"What in the name of the Goddess …"

"Horrified; that is Kyrie Nelvana."

"And who is that?" Finn asked, his hand tapping the side of the control console impatiently.

"Horrified; she is the primary benefactor of Eclipse. I've met her before at charity fund-raisers back while I was working near Dekuuna. She funds the majority of their organization's operations, but rumor is she runs the entire organization."

Finn looked up at Kyrie just as she spotted him through the glass of the cab. For a woman whose expensive gallery had just been smashed, she went from horrified to extremely pissed quickly.

She pointed at Finn, shouting, "I want his head!" loud enough to be heard inside the cab.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon …" Finn's eyes lit up as the control panel suddenly burst to life. "Hell yeah! Everyone hold on!"

The cab rose shakily from the ground. Finn spun it about, intending to exit through the same hole, only to find the Blue Suns shuttles fast approaching. Thinking fast, he turned to the next nearest window that led out and hit the accelerator. More artifacts smashed and banged off the cab's hull before they managed to crash through the window and out into the city.

The Blue Suns were on them in a second. Finn reactivated the rear-view mirror just in time to see the side door open again.

"Crap." Finn muttered. "Here we go!"

Finn pulled the cab into a steep vertical climb. The shuttles followed with some difficulty; traffic was thicker in that part of the city. Weaving around the skyscrapers while doing his best to avoid other vehicles, Finn kept his eyes on the path ahead while Mannon watched the rear-view feed like a hawk.

As they drew near the top of the scraper, Mannon said, "We lost the one with the knock-out gun."

"Good."

"Not really. The one still following us has a gun."

Finn let out a frustrated growl. As they rose past the skyscraper's spire, he made the cab dive straight down.

"Frustrated; not again!" Darsan said as he was pressed against the back of Finn and Mannon's seats.

"Sorry!" Finn shouted over the rising noise of the engine. "Just hold on!"

The proximity warning suddenly activated. Finn looked at it, alarmed. "The hell?"

"Sharp right!" Mannon shouted.

Finn reacted instantly. Moments later, a missile blasted past them, mere inches from their hull.

"The hell? Massani outfitted them with missiles?" asked Finn, his mind racing for a plan of escape.

"It's not the Blue Suns."

Finn glanced at the rear-view feed; there were two more air-cars behind the remaining Blue Suns Shuttle, both painted yellow and adorned with the Eclipse logo.

"What in the hell?" Finn said, frustration in his voice. I thought Ilium was supposed to be less dangerous than Omega!"

He jerked the wheel to the side, making the cab sharply swerve around the corner of another scraper. As a car hiding behind the corner quickly pulled around and started following him with lights blazing, Finn couldn't help but snort with amusement.

"Finn," Mannon began, "We've got another-"

Finn interrupted, "We've got Blue Suns and Eclipse chasing us. Might as well have Security on our tail as well. Hell, why don't we just send a message to the Saints! They're always looking for a good time."

With four cars behind them, things were looking rather bleak. Fortunately for Finn and company, Eclipse, Blue Suns, and Security didn't exactly mix well. One of the Eclipse vehicles suddenly shook as it was hit from behind by the other Blue Suns ship as it caught up with the chase. The Eclipse vehicle continued straight as Finn dove through a commercial district low enough to see people turning their heads and staring at the chase as they passed.

The Blue Suns shuttles moved to take positions on either side of the remaining Eclipse, when the one holding the merc with the knock-out gun took a direct hit from one of the Eclipse car's missiles. The flaming wreckage sped to the ground as more Ilium Security vehicles joined the chase.

"We need to get away from the populated areas before those nuts burn the place into cinders!" Mannon told Finn.

"Agreed." Finn brought the cab into a controlled ascent as they turned into another area filled with heavy construction.

Finn's internal communicator activated. "Finn, I just spotted a bunch of …"

"Still not a good time Jake." Finn's eyes darted over the cityscape. "We're being chased by the Blue Suns, the Eclipse, and Ilium security."

"That's you?! Why didn't you tell me you were planning to go on a high-speed car chase?"

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "Wasn't exactly part of the plan."

"Hang on!"

As the communication stopped, Mannon asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"Jake. He just told me to hang on."

"Why?"

Before Finn could respond, one of the massive crane bearing a massive section of skyscraper quickly spun their way. Finn managed to avoid it just barely, but the other vehicles weren't close enough to do the same. Most of the security cars quickly swerved away. The Eclipse car and the Blue Suns shuttle tried to slip past the massive building block, but only the Blue Suns vessel was fast enough to make it. The Eclipse car smashed into the side of the skyscraper fragment and didn't come out the other side.

"Ha-ha!" Finn said triumphantly. "Awesome work, Jake! Just one left now."

"Good! Keep going straight, man; you're not far from my position. I'm at …"

A burst of fire hit the cab right in the engine. The cab began to shake as the engine struggled to keep functioning.

"Dammit!" Finn fought to keep control of the cab as it began to slowly descend, smoke billowing out of its backside. A quick glance at the map showed them nearing a docking bay, unfortunately not the one where the Ulasomorf was waiting.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked frantically.

"We've been hit." Finn told him. "I think I can get the cab down safely, though."

"Finn!" Mannon said, her eyes on the rear screen. "They're moving in position to attack!"

"Anxiously; shoot them first!"

"With what?" Finn asked, gripping the controls with white-knuckled hands. "It's a cab! The most dangerous thing it has is a meter!"

He wasn't lying; there was nothing he could do at the moment, other than hope to whatever gods might be listening that he could land the cab without killing the lot of them.

The Blue Suns shuttle was moving in for the kill; it drew closer and closer until Finn could make out the turian pilot.

The cab's comm activated. For a moment, Finn thought his mysterious benefactor was responsible, but a gruff masculine tone spoke instead of the playful feminine voice he had heard before. "Cresste! I know you can hear me; surrender now."

"Like hell." Finn replied. "You can tell your boss to go jump off a bridge."

"Massani only wants you. Would you truly bring death to your friends just to have one final moment of defiance.

Finn stared silently ahead for a few moments. The cab's engine wouldn't last long; one more hit, and they'd be blasted out of the air. With a sigh, he asked, "Will they be allowed to go free?"

"Finn!" Mannon said, a shocked expression on her face. "You can't …"

"Surrender yourself, and they'll be spared. I give you my word."

"Incredulously; Finn, you can't just give yourself up!" Darsan told him. "We're in this together, till the bitter end."

"That's right." Mannon agreed, her hand on Finn's arm. "We started this together, and that's how we're gonna end it. I don't know how, but I'm sure you'll get us out of this."

Without warning, the Blue Suns shuttle exploded. The force of the explosion rocked the cab a bit, but Finn was too surprised to notice. Mannon let out a slightly nervous laugh of relief as the remnants of the shuttle fell through the sky and disappeared below them.

"What the hell was that?" Finn asked, his eyes darting from the front window to the rear camera feed.

"I don't know!" Mannon told him, her eyes again on the rear-view feed. "I don't see anyone else behind us!"

Finn couldn't ponder the mystery for long; the ground was fast approaching. With a final groan, the engine finally died a good one-hundred feet from the ground.

"Everyone hold on!" Finn said, bracing himself as best he could. "This isn't going to be pretty!"


	7. Chapter 7 - Catch A Ride

Chapter 7

**Catch a Ride**

White haze filled Finn's vision. For a long moment, he was sure he was dead. It was almost a relief; no more struggle, no more running around, no more Illusive Man or Reapers or jewel thieves.

Then he tried to move. As his joints answered with various levels of soreness, he realized that his vision was beginning to clear, revealing what was left of the cab's controls.

There was a groan behind him, followed by, "Disbelieving; are we alive?"

"I'm afraid so." Mannon popped her neck and let out a relieved sigh.

"Can't say the same for the cab, though." Finn tried the handle of his door, only to find it stuck. He managed to kick it open on the third try, which helped clear the rest of the smoke out of the cab. He and Mannon stumbled out of their respective doors and took a moment to steadied themselves before moving to help Darsan. It was difficult, but they managed to get the elcor out of the cab with relatively little difficulty.

"Finn?" asked the mysterious woman hijacking Jake's frequency. "You reached the J-23 docking bay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Finn replied, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. "We're all fine. Thanks for asking."

"Are you there?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Finn said, "Look, we almost died a dozen times back there. We would have been toast if I hadn't managed to get the cab up and running again, so as you can guess, I'm not in a particularly good mood right now."

"Keep your voice down!"

"Why? So my friends don't find out? I think they deserve to know why they almost died!"

"Finn …" Mannon asked, both her and Darsan giving him strange looks. "Who are you talking to?"

"The real thief. That's right, isn't it?" Finn asked. "The person who really stole the Creator's Tear. She's the one who let me out of my cell."

Alarmed, Mannon asked, "You helped steal the Creator's Tear?"

"No!" Finn sighed and explained, "She planted it on me while we were watching Siren's Call. She promised to help clear my name if I helped her get it back, but I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth the trouble."

"Look," said Finn's mysterious benefactor, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to help more back there, but time's a factor here."

"Who are you?" Finn demanded. He was tired of being chased, tired of the nightmare that had come about from what was to be just a routine mission. "You expect me to trust you, to just go wherever you tell me. The least you could do is give me a name!"

There was a long pause. "Fair enough. My name is Hikari Goto."

"Hikari." Finn repeated. It wasn't much, but at least he could put a name to the voice now. "Fine. I'm guessing you know Mannon and Darsan."

"Indeed. Tell Darsan I like his hat."

"She likes your hat." Finn told Darsan, prompting the elcor to give another one of his rare 'smiles'.

Turning his attention to his surroundings, Finn said, "We're at … a docking port."

"That's a bit vague?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure which one. I think it's J-23, but I was a bit too busy to double check the map." Finn told her. "The cab's pretty much totaled."

"It's J-23." Mannon said, scanning her omni-tool. "Cripes, we're all over the local extranet news, Finn."

Finn glanced over at the console to see a news feed displaying a replay of the moment the cab slid by the large chunk of construction. A smaller screen showed a zoomed in version, with Finn's face faintly visible.

"Sarcastic; nice headshot, Finn."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah …" Shaking his head, Finn glanced around the area. It didn't take long to spot a large electronic bulletin board that read 'Docking Area J-23'.

Nodding, Finn said, "Looks like we made it, Hikari."

"Excellent!" Hikari said, glee clear in her voice. "Damn, you're a lucky bastard."

"Thanks for that." Finn replied dryly.

"There's no time to lose; you're looking for the Merida … it's a modified asari transport, should be in bay five."

The three of them ran into the docking area. Security seemed lax; aside from a decontamination field, there was nothing that hindered their progress. There wasn't a single officer in the security scan point either.

Running his finger around the rim of a cup of coffee, Finn commented, "Still warm. It's like whoever was on duty just took off all of a sudden."

"Don't worry about security, Finn. I've taken care of it." Hikari told Finn, a smug tone in her voice.

Finn raised an eyebrow, though he was pretty sure she couldn't see him. "What does that mean?"

"It means that they're busy with something else. I'm not an idiot, Finn; if you and your friends get caught, I'll never get my Creator's Tear. back. Now hurry up! Security's thick, but they'll catch on eventually."

The docking bay was much more spacious than the one where the Ulasomorf had been directed. Thanks to the wide space between the individual bays, Finn and company were able to get a good look at the ships in dock; there were a few volus cargo carriers, a rather nice-looking turian ship of a build that Finn didn't quite recognize, a very nice and quite large luxury starship marked with the symbol of the Zuen-tech corperation, and a few smaller obviously private vessels, mostly asari and human.

Finally, they saw it; in the back of one of the rear docking bays was a vessel just a bit larger than the Ulasomorf. Finn could tell it was the Merida from its smooth curves that signified its clearly asari design, though seeing the name 'Meridia' written on the side with the silhouette of a dancing quarian pretty much made it clear to anyone who looked at it.

"Found it." Finn told Hikari. "Damn, that's a big ship for a dancing troupe."

"Great! All that's left is to grab the Creator's Tear and get out before they realize you're there."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Finn muttered, motioning the others to follow quietly.

As the group hurried towards the vessel, Finn spotted the cargo ramp. No cargo was going in, but there was a quarian in oil-smudged clothes working frantically at a control console just inside the vessel. More interesting, however, was the four-legged dog robot that was hiding beneath the ramp.

"It's Jake!" Mannon whispered.

Finn held up a hand for silence; the quarian hadn't noticed them yet, and Finn wanted to keep it that way. Careful to move so that the bulkhead of the Meridian shielded them from view, they continued approaching until they were right beside the asari vessel.

Finn tapped the side of his head, saying, "Jake, can you hear me?"

"Hang on." Hikari's voice answered. There was a brief burst of static followed by Jake's voice saying, "Finn! There you are! About time you dragged your sorry but here!"

"Hey Jake. Sorry it took me so long, but …"

"Yeah, Hikari filled me in."

"She did?" Finn smacked himself in the head, saying, "Of course she did. She's been talking to you all this time, hasn't she?"

"Yup. I'm still a bit mad she messed with my brain junk, but if it'll get you in the free and clear, count me in."

Finn smiled. "What would I do without you, bro? Listen, hold tight; I'll see if I can't deal with our engineer friend."

Motioning for the others to remain where they are, Finn straightened up and strode around the part of the hull obscuring them from view, saying, "Oy, there you are!"

The quarian jumped at the sound of Finn's voice. Terror clear in his tone, the man asked, "Who are you?"

"Who, me? I'm Engineer Bob, Ilium troubleshooting and repair. Heard about your little problem and got sent to lend a hand."

"We didn't send a request." the quarian said uneasily.

Finn patted the console, saying, "Didn't have to; you're still tied into the Ilium grid. Something goes wrong, and my department gets a note. So what's wrong?"

"Uh … " The quarian stuttered as Finn pushed past him to get to the console. After pretending to analyze the system for a minute, Finn nodded, saying, "Oh, I see what it is."

"Y-you do?" The quarian moved to Finn's side to get a better look at the screen.

Finn put his arm on the quarian's shoulder and pointed with his other hand at the console. "Right here."

As the quarian squinted, Finn activated his omni-tool, saying, "There's a robot dog chewing on the power cables."

"What the …" The quarian's body stiffened as a low-level electrical pulse shot from Finn's omni-tool and left him unconscious. Finn quickly caught the falling quarian and dragged him inside, calling out, "We're in."

Jake ran up the ramp, followed a few moments later by Mannon and Darsan. Mannon looked at the quarian, concern in her eyes as she asked, "You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"Nah." Finn sat the quarian down beside a large cargo container. "He's just knocked out."

The console activated. "Come on, Noir! Why haven't you got that ramp up yet?"

Trying his best to mimic the quarian engineer's voice, Finn replied, "Sorry; got distracted."

"Distracted? By the ancestors, Noir, get focused! We need to get out of here now!"

As if in response, a loud siren flared to life in the not-too distance. Mannon and Darsan stared at Finn as he fumbled with the controls.

"Damn it, security's on us! Noir, we're heading out. If you can't get the ramp shut, activate the emergency shield and get out of there!"

As the comm shut down, the entire ship began to shudder.

"What are we going to do?" Mannon asked, steadying herself against a large crate. "If they take off-"

"Think that's pretty much a given at this point." Finn told her. "Damn; Jake's messed this up good."

His eyes widened. Running to the edge of the ramp, Finn shouted, "Oy! Jake! Get on board!"

"You got it, bro!"

Moments later, Jake ran into view. The ship had already begun to lift off, but with an impressive leap, Jake managed to land on the ramp.

Running up to Finn, he said, "Hang on! I've got this!"

Jake's back panel recessed. Instead of his usual buster cannon, however, he had a small pen-like device that looked oddly familiar. The blue light on the end activated, accompanied by a shrill sound that made the hairs on the back of Finn's neck stand on end. Almost immediately, the ramp began to rise.

As it clamped into place, the console's comm activated again. "Good work, Noir. Strap in; we're heading out now."

"Where are we …" Finn's question was interrupted as the ship shot forward, causing everyone in the hold to stumble.

As the inertial dampeners kicked in, Finn realized everyone was looking at him.

"Well," He said with a weak grin. "At least we got off of Ilium."


	8. Chapter 8 - Hitchhikers

Chapter 8

**Hitchhikers**

Noir the quarian engineer woke up to find himself surrounded, most noteably by an elcor with a silly hat, and a robot he recognized as one of the old KEI-9 units. The man who had 'assisted' him was there too, as well as a woman who looked startlingly similar to Lady Scarlett. He stared at her a moment, wondering if he was imagining her, but as the haze began to lift from his thoughts, he realized though the face was the same, the woman was definitely human.

"Door's secure." said the robot as he walked up to the man.

"That was quick." the man said, patting the robot dog on the top of its viewscreen. "Where did you get that thing anyway?"

"Back on Omega. Remember? You found it in that storage room. It set off all the machines, remember?"

"Oh yeah. I thought it was a screwdriver or something."

"Well, whatever it is, it made everything in the docking bay go haywire. Makes me feel a bit funny too. Then again, I've always been a bit funny."

"Keep thinking that." Despite his words, the man smiled at the robot dog.

Still a bit groggy, Noir mumbled something even he couldn't understand.

"Ah, he awakens. See?" The man said to the others. "I told you I didn't kill him."

The human woman glared at him before moving closer and putting a hand to his head.

"Are you okay?" She asked, the concerned look on her face coupled with her resemblance to Lady Scarlett almost overloading his brain then and there.

"Haaaaah." He managed, his cheeks burning.

The elcor with the strange hat leaned closer, his small eyes squinting at Noir. "Curious; is he blushing?"

"Honestly." The woman said, a slight red tinge in her own cheeks.

It was about this point that Noir realized that he had been tied to a large barrel with what looked to be all the wiring from the cargo bay's security cameras.

"Ah." He said dourly. "I should've known."

"Relax, Noir." The man said, smiling cheerily. "We ain't here to hurt you. We just need to know where the Creator's Tear is."

Noir's eyes narrowed. "You're working with Goto, aren't you?"

The man glanced at his companions for a moment before nodding and saying, "Well, yeah, but only because we were implicated in stealing the Creator's Tear in the first place."

Swearing in quarian, Noir muttered, "I didn't make the call to security."

The man's eyebrows raised. "Oh?"

Noir couldn't help but sigh. "Me and my big mouth."

"I think you'd better start talking." the man advised him, leaning back against a stack of crates."

Sighing again, Noir said, "Lady Scarlet spotted Goto planting the Creator's Tear on you. Once you all left, she called security and told them you had it."

"Did it occur to you that maybe I was being duped?"

"How could we know?" Noir asked. "For all we knew, you were working with her. Once we found out who you were, we tried to get you released, but …"

"But Goto had already sprung me." Sighing, the man muttered, "Look, as much as I appreciate that you want to return quarian artifacts to Rannoch …"

"Quarian artifacts? The Creator's Tear?" Noir shook his head, saying, "It's not a quarian artifact."

"Of course it isn't." The man said, an exasperated tone in his voice. "Well, at least I don't have to feel guilty about stealing it back now. Where is it?"

"I don't know."

"Finn." The woman said, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "

Sighing, the man said, "Noir … it is Noir, isn't it? Perhaps we got started on the wrong foot. This is Mannon, Darsan, and Jake."

"Hi!" The KEI-9 unit said cheerily, the cartoon dog face on its display smiling.

"And I'm Finn Cresste."

Raising an eyebrow, Noir asked, "Finn Cresste?"

"You know me?" Finn asked, sounding a little surprised.

"Yeah, I know you! You're dating my sister!"

"You … you're Kyra's brother?"

"Yeah! She's my twin … though the way she lords the astounding five minutes she has on me, you'd think I was younger than her by at least three years. She's written me about you and your mission. You really know a surviving geth consciousness?"

"Billy?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah. He's part of our little team."

"Maker's breath." Noir whispered. "I gotta admit, I thought she was putting me on for awhile there. The Reapers, Cerberus … that's some heavy stuff, man. How'd you get caught up in all this stuff with the Creator's Tear?"

"Picking up an agent of the Shadow Broker." Mannon told him. "That, and bad timing."

"Dourly; story of our life." Darsan commented.

"And now our ship's stuck on Ilium until we prove we're innocent." Finn gave Noir a knowing look, adding, "You can see how this is a problem."

"Well, Violet has the Creator's Tear," Noir admitted, "But where are you going to go after you steal it? We don't have any shuttles or lifeboats."

"Damn." Mannon muttered. "I didn't think about that."

Finn put his hand on her arm, saying, "We'll worry about that later."

"Curious." said Darsan. "You said the Creator's Tear wasn't a quarian artifact. Why did you steal it?"

"I don't know the particulars, but I know it has to do with a much bigger score. Lady Scarlet's been planning this for a long time. We've already got the Haelstrum's Heart and the Eye of the Abyss."

"Haelstrum's Heart." Mannon muttered. "So that's why your group was on Neukaraa."

"Right. Put together, they make some kind of map." Noir told them, shifting uncomfortably in his bonds. "I don't know the details; they only brought me along because I'm good at fixing things."

His kidnappers looked at each other for a long moment.

"Cautious; what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking we need to get a message to the Ulasomorf, otherwise we're going to have a heck of a time getting away after we find the Creator's Tear." Finn glanced at Noir, asking, "Any way we could hack into communications without anyone noticing?"

"Not likely." Noir told them. "Amber watches the comm like a hawk."

"What about Hikari?" Jake asked. "Can't she help?"

Noir glanced at the group for some fourth member he might have missed earlier, but found no one else.

Finn shook his head, saying, "I haven't heard from her since we got onboard. I get the feeling we're on our own now."

"Well, we can't just sit here." Mannon said, putting her hands on her hips. "They're going to realize we're here eventually."

A silence fell over the group.

Noir fidgeted in his bonds for a moment before saying, "Uh, could I make a suggestion?"

Everyone looked at him.

Feeling very self-conscious, Noir said, "You could use your leverage to get them to set you down somewhere."

"Our leverage?" Mannon asked uncertainly.

"Er, me."

Finn looked uncomfortable. "You mean, use you as a hostage? I'm not sure I'm down with that."

"You knocked me out and tied me up." Noir pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's …er, tradition. Sneaking aboard, knocking out the guard, stealing his clothes and tying him up."

"Stealing his …" Noir glanced down at his bare legs. His worksuit lay in a heap in his lap, giving him at least a little modesty. Through the haze of his embarressment, he found himself keenly aware of Mannon blushing and pointedly looking away.

"Er, sorry. I was hoping I'd fit, but …" Cheeks red, Finn let out an exasperated sigh and said, "Look, I'm not cool with the hostage thing."

"Why not?" Jake asked him. "You kept Massani at gunpoint."

"Massani?" Noir asked, eyes widening. "You mean that's true too? You held Fuego Massani at gunpoint?"

"More like Singularity point." Scowling, Finn said, "I didn't shoot him. Besides, that was different." Finn insisted. "We were trying to get away."

Clearing his throat, Noir said, "There's another option."

"C'mon, Finn!" Jake said, wagging his tail end. "We could pull off convincing space pirates!"

"Space pirates?" Finn repeated incredulously.

"Guys!" Noir said, trying to interject.

Shaking her head, Mannon said, "Well, what choice do we have? It's not like we have much to work with."

"I can help you!"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Noir.

"Let me go, and I'll help you find the Creator's Tear and get a message to your ship."

"But why-" Finn began.

"-If you take me with you."

The two humans stared at him, obviously surprised by this turn of events. The elcor's expression didn't change, though that was hardly surprising.

Taking a deep breath, Noir said, "Kyra's told me about what you're facing. I know she's a good tech, but even she needs help sometimes. C'mon; that's two descendants of John and Tali Shepard. You couldn't ask for more."

They continued to look at him. Finn seemed to be considering, though Mannon still looked a little confused.

"I joined up with Siren's Call because I thought it'd be an adventure, but I've been little more than a glorified maintenance worker working for a bunch of thieves. I want to do something more, something important." Cheeks flushed, he nodded at Finn, saying, "Surely you can understand that."

A small smile spread across Finn's face. "Yeah, I guess I can."

"Finn?" Mannon asked, sounding surprised. "Are you sure?"

Finn severed the cords binding Noir to the barrel with his pocket knife. "Yup. Okay then, Noir; you're part of the team."

Noir leapt to his feet in excitement, forgetting for a moment that since his worksuit was a modified envirosuit, he never wore underwear. Seeing the blush in Mannon and Finn's cheeks, he quickly grabbed his suit and hurried behind a stack of crates to get dressed.

"Okay then." Finn said, clapping his hands together. "First matter of business is getting that message to the Ulasomorf."

"Questioning; shouldn't we go for the Creator's Tear first?"

"Negative." Finn replied, running his omni-tool along the storage bay wall. "We'll secure our escape route first. If worst comes to worst, we can head straight back to Trident and hope this mess dies down on its own. Noir; you mentioned that the Comm was being closely watched."

"That's right." Noir said, stepping from behind the crates as the modified environment suit tightened around him. "Amber watches the scanners and communications, and she's been on edge since we left Rannoch a year ago. She rejected about twenty of my replies to Kyra over the last few months, claiming I was revealing sensitive information."

Glancing at Mannon, Finn commented, "Sounds like someone's a bit worried about whoever might be listening in. Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

"Curious; How?"

Finn patted Darsan on the shoulder, saying, "I'm sure I'll figure out something. Okay then; let's come up with a plan."

"Hang on!" Mannon interrupted, her eyes on Noir. "No offense, but why should we trust you? For all we know, you're not even really Kyra's younger brother."

"Only by five minutes!" Noir said indignantly.

"Noir!"

Everyone jumped except Darsan at the approaching voice.

"Hide!" Noir hissed as two sets of footsteps quickly approached them.

Finn dove into the industrial plastic barrel to which Noir had previously been tied. Moving with a speed Noir had never seen in an elcor, Darsan hurried behind a stack of crates, Jake easily hiding beneath his hulking frame.

Seeing Mannon looking around frantically for a place to hide, Noir pointed to one of the massive wardrobes bolted to the walls of the storage bay. Nodding gratefully, Mannon quickly slid through the door and shut it behind her just as Lady Scarlet and Azure appeared around a large stack of supplies.

While the Lady Scarlet was not in truth nobility, she carried herself with an air both kind and caring that made it hard for others not to treat her as a true Lady. As she approached wearing her usual modest dark red dress, Noir couldn't help but marvel again at her resemblance to the human Mannon.

Azure, on the other hand, wore a pair of rumpled jeans and a light-blue T-shirt that hung off of one shoulder. She had a pretty-enough face, Noir thought, but the almost constant look of annoyance marred whatever beauty she had, in his opinion.

"By the Ancestors, Noir!" Azure said irritably. "I thought you were going to get this mess organized.

"Sorry, sis." Noir replied, not bothering to mask his sarcasm. "I've been a bit too busy keeping this ship from falling apart."

Azure opened her mouth to reply, but stopped immediately at a small gesture made by Lady Scarlet.

"It doesn't matter." Lady Scarlet told her, her voice both quiet yet strangely authoritative. "With the final piece in our possession, we will be heading to Tuchanka. Is the Meridia in good enough shape to make the journey?"

Noir wanted to say no; the ship definitely needed an extended stay at a repair yard. The power core was in bad need of realignment, some of the outer plating was still damaged from their earlier run-in with the Blood Pack, and Violet's tinkering with the drive systems was causing a serious misbalance of the power distribution grid.

Still, there was something about the Lady Scarlett that made it hard to say no. "We've got a few problems, but it's nothing I can't handle, milady."

Lady Scarlett gave him one of her rare smiles. "I am glad to hear that. We are very near the end of this; I promise once we find the treasure of Manos Grax, we'll return to Rannoch for proper repairs."

Blushing, Noir said, "Of course, ma'am."

Lady Scarlett bowed her head ever so slightly before walking away. Noir found his eyes drawn to the hem of her dress as it swept around her barely-visible feet.

Shaking his head, he turned back to his sister only to see her staring at him.

"What?" He demanded once Lady Scarlett had left the cargo bay.

"By the ancestors." Azure said, her eyes widening. "Violet wasn't kidding; you have a crush on her!"

Blushing, Noir muttered, "Oh, shut up."

"You can't honestly think you have a chance with her."

"Don't you have something better do?" He tried to turn away, but Azure grabbed his shoulder.

"Noir, she's engaged. She's going to be married when we get back to Rannoch, you know that."

"Yes, I know that!" Noir snapped at her. "I'm not an idiot, Azure. I'm dealing with it, so would you just get off my back already?"

Azure raised her hands, saying, "Just trying to help."

As she walked away, Noir let out a sigh. "Great." He muttered to himself. "This is all I need."

He knocked on the side of the crates, saying, "They're gone."

Mannon stepped out of the wardrobe as Finn popped his head out of his barrel, foam peanuts sticking to his hair. Noir helped him out of the barrel with a little difficulty.

"Thanks." Finn said gratefully, wiping the foam peanuts from his body. "That was close."

"Intruiged; did you see how much the one called Scarlet looked like Sherle?"

"Sherle?" Noir asked.

"Me." Mannon told him. "Sherle's my first name. I'm just used to everyone calling me Mannon from military training."

After a momentary pause, she added, "I'm sorry, by the way."

"For what?" He asked.

"For doubting you. If you want to come with us after we get out of here, it's fine with me."

"Agreeing; and with me!" Darsan patted Noir on the shoulder in a manner he probably thought was friendly, nearly knocking the breath out of him in the process.

Finn glanced in the direction Lady Scarlet and Azure had departed, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Y'know, I think I might just have a plan."


	9. Chapter 9 - Space Pirates

Chapter 9

**Space Pirates**

Mannon tugged at her dress as she rode the lift to the bridge.

"Stop doing that!" Finn told her through the intercom cleverly hidden in her hair. "You're supposed to be acting natural."

"It's hard to act natural when you're in a dress that's too small!" Mannon snapped. Her voice now sounded like Lady Scarlet's, thanks to a cleverly hidden voice modulator. Still, it felt strange to hear someone else's voice come from her own mouth.

"The longer you complain, the longer you have to deal with it."

"This isn't going to work, Finn!"

"Of course it will!" It was Noir who spoke, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Amber thinks of Lady Scarlet as an older sister. She should do pretty much anything you ask her to. I'm telling you, with the makeup and the dress, you look just like her; just make sure you don't uncover your ears. Amber's really observant."

"And if my dress pops open?" Mannon muttered, resisting the urge to viciously tug at her bosom. "I'm assuming quarian breasts look at least a little different. Right, Finn?"

She heard Finn let out an exasperated sigh. "I wouldn't know."

"Uh-huh."

"Look, we haven't slept together, all right? By the Creator, we've only know each other for a few months!"

"Almost half a year." Mannon replied, her lips curving into a smile. "I saw you two down in the medical bay back on the Amonjara. Checking compatibility, wasn't it?"

"She was just checking to see if we were compatible enough to have children. Sometimes, Omni-chirality isn't quite enough to produce viable offspring. I mean, if we do end up … I mean, if I need to go through omni-conversion, in case we …"

"Is he blushing?" Mannon asked.

Three voices answered in harmony; Noir ("Er, yeah.") and Jake ("Yup."), and Darsan ("Emphatically; red as the strawberries he was feeding her last week.")

"Gee, thanks guys." Finn said sarcastically. "Always nice to know everyone's so interested in my love life." She heard Finn let out a sigh before saying, "Look, you'll be there and out in less than a minute if everything goes to plan."

"Yeah, it's the 'if everything goes to plan' part that worries me." Mannon quickly fell silent as the lift doors opened, revealing the bridge of the Merida.

It had an almost turian design, with the captain's chair in the center of the bridge, surrounded by the various bridge stations. At the moment, there was only one person there, a rather young-looking young quarian woman at one of the side consoles. She wore an orange tube top and a pair of short-shorts, and what appeared to be fuzzy slippers resembling some sort of animal Mannon wasn't familiar with.

As Mannon approached, she noticed the young woman's attention was fully focused on her console. At first she thought she was just focused on her job, but as she drew closer, she realized the young woman was playing some kind of puzzle game.

"Amber?" Mannon asked hesitantly.

The young quarian nearly jumped out of her seat Holding a hand to her chest, she exclaimed, "Maker's Breath! Don't do that!"

"My apologies." Mannon replied, bowing her head slightly. "I didn't mean-"

"No," Amber interrupted, raising her hand to stay Mannon's apology even as her other hand quickly deactivated the game screen. "I just … you just startled me a bit, that's all. Whatcha need?"

"It will only take a moment, I assure you." Mannon told her, handing her the small flash drive Noir had supplied. "I need you to send this message to Trident."

"Just Trident?" Amber asked as she took the drive. "That's a bit vague for a message."

"It has to be, I'm afraid." Mannon told her. "The message is intended for the Shadow Broker."

Amber's pale eyes went wide. "The Shadow Broker?"

Mannon nodded slowly. "The message should register as junk data to Trident's main communication array, but I've left a code in the static on a frequency the Shadow Broker is known to use for communicating to her agents."

Amber fidgeted with the drive, saying, "Well, I can do that, but …"

"I have reason to believe the human we accidentally involved in our enterprise works for the Shadow Broker. We must make sure she doesn't mistake our actions as hostile to her operations." Mannon gave her a patient smile. "Thank you, Amber. I appreciate you trusting me on this."

Her cheeks darkening in an unmistakable blush, Amber quickly inserted the drive into the console. A few taps at her keyboard later, she nodded and turned back to Mannon, saying, "Done."

Mannon smiled kindly at Amber and gave her a sisterly kiss on the forehead. "You have my thanks."

Amber's cheeks darkened even more. Smiling, she shooed Mannon away, saying, "All right, enough of that."

As Mannon started to walk away, Amber asked casually, "So, how's it coming with the map?"

Mannon froze, but only for a moment. "We'll have the location within the hour."

"Good." Amber let out a sigh, saying, "I miss Rannoch."

"As do I." Mannon told her. "I daresay we aren't the only ones."

Amber snorted. "Except Auren, you mean. All she cares about is being on stage."

"Now, now." Mannon chided Amber, grateful that Noir had taken the opportunity to give her info on every member of Siren's Call, "We are all in this together."

"If you say so." Amber replied.

Against her better judgment, Mannon found herself putting her hand on Amber's shoulder, asking, "Is something wrong?"

Amber shook her head, saying, "No. I just …"

"Ask her if this is about Azure." Noir whispered in Mannon's ear.

"Is this about Azure?" Mannon asked, despite the feeling that she was starting to wander nearly blind into unfamiliar territory.

The blush that rose on Amber's cheeks made it clear that Noir was correct. "I just … I mean, doesn't it bother you too? Auren took advantage of her."

"Oh, lord." Noir whispered. "A few months back, Auren and Azure spent a night together after getting drunk on brandy and Nektar."

"Why would …" Finn stopped suddenly and let out a sigh of realization.

"Curious; What? What is it?"

"Amber must have a crush on Azure."

"Curious; but aren't they both … Mildly aroused; Oh."

Mannon smiled at Amber, saying, "To be fair, they were both …"

"I've been reading up on that Nektar stuff." Amber told her. "It's supposed to bring out a person's true feelings. What if they really feel that way about each other?"

"Amber." Mannon asked her. "Have they been together since?"

Amber looked away, mumbling, "No, but …"

Mannon made her look at her. "Then you worry over nothing."

Amber slowly nodded, but it was clear she was still bothered. Mannon was only too familiar with the look in the young quarian's eyes. Despite the circumstances, she felt sympathetic for Amber's plight.

Mannon placed her hands over Amber's. "Have you considered that maybe this is a sign that you should take the next step?"

"Sherle?" Noir asked, sounding startled. "What are you …"

"If you truly care for someone, you need to tell them before losing them forever." Mannon continued. "I know, my dear sister."

"You do?" Amber asked, her eyes wide.

Mannon nodded. "I had a crush on someone I worked with for years. He was just a repairman, but the way he tackled everything with all he had, the way he always greeted me with a smile …"

"Was he handsome?"

"I think he is." Mannon's smile fell. "Unfortunately, someone else does too, someone who wasn't afraid of letting him know. I lost my chance because I was afraid, Amber. Now I'll never know how things could've turned out had I the courage to tell him the truth. While I'll always think of him as a good friend, I'll never know what could have been."

Amber stared at her, at a loss for words. While nothing but silence came from her earpiece, Mannon could imagine at least two people on the other side with a similar expression.

Blushing, Mannon said, "Tell her how you feel, Amber. If you don't, you'll only be able to wonder."

Amber stared at Mannon for a few moments before leaping out of her chair and running for the lift.

As the doors shut behind her, Mannon let out a sigh.

A few moments passed before Finn's voice came through her headpiece. "Sherle …"

"It's okay." She told him, smiling. "I've had enough time to get over you, and I wouldn't trade our friendship for the world."

"Still …"

"Now Darsan on the other hand …" She said, a smile crossing her face.

"Teasingly; Oh, no. I'm a free spirit, babe. No woman can cage me!"

Laughter sounded from both sides of the transmission, breaking the heavy mood.

Shaking her head, Sherle said, "I'm going to see if I can't scrounge any more info from the bridge consoles. Go ahead and continue with the plan."

"Are you sure?" Noir asked. "What if you run into someone else?"

"I think I can wing it." Mannon told them. "You all get moving; it won't take Liara long to figure out our position, and I'd like to make sure we've got the Creator's Tear back by then."

With a nod at Finn and Darsan, Noir patted his leg, saying, "Okay then; looks like we're up, Jake."

"Awesome!" Jake replied. He had a few different pieces temp-welded to his frame; just enough to make him look different enough to forestall suspicious should any of the members of Siren's Call know what he looked like. Even his face-plate displayed a different image. It was still a cartoon dog, but the face was clearly different.

As they two headed for the lift, Finn called out, "Good luck, you two!"

"Hah!" Jake replied. "We don't need luck! We've got the skills, yo!"

"Yo?" Finn shook his head, saying, "Nevermind. Just try not to get caught, okay?"

"Hah! Only wimps try. We…"

"I get it! You're a big dog! Now get going, already!"

Chuckling, Jake followed Noir into the lift. As the doors closed, Noir commented, "You two seem to be good friends."

"Best friends." Jake told him. "Ever since he was a kid. Found him on Earth when he was just a boy."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He had run away from the academy; I don't know what the expected. I mean, yeah, even at thirteen he could fly loops around the military's best, but he was still just a kid. Probably would've been fine if his mother hadn't died like she did."

Shaking his head, Jake said, "Anyway, long story short, he ran away, I found him and convinced him to go back, and we've been together ever since. Took a bit of convincing to get them to let me hang around while he was still in the Academy, but like I said; he was a special kid. For a human, anyway."

Glancing at Noir, Jake asked, "What about you? How did you end up with Siren's Call anyway?"

Shrugging, Noir said, "Not much of a story. My elder sisters joined first; Azure and Violet. Kyra and I had just come of age and were looking for something to serve as our pilgrimage-"

"Pilgrimage?" Jake interrupted, "Wasn't that from back in the days quarians lived in a flotilla?"

"Well, yeah. It's just tradition these days; instead of getting a place on a ship, you get a plot of land depending on how great your contribution is. Mind you, bringing a fat stack of money is just as good as any resource. That's kinda why we're here."

"Gonna buy yourself a home, huh?" Jake nodded his head approvingly. "Sounds like a plan."

"Well, it was. Kyra and I joined … she went by Viridia those days. Thing is, we didn't really know what we were getting into. At first, we thought it was just an entertainment troupe. I was in charge of stage effects and keeping the ship running … and pretty much any other technical thing we needed. Kyra helped me a lot, but she was there mostly to dance with the others. It wasn't until a gig on Eden Prime that we found out the truth. Kyra was so idealistic back then. Still is, I suppose; anyway, she left the group. It was a shame; she was such a good singer."

"Still is." Jake told him, wagging his tail end. "We do karaoke every Saturday."

Noir grinned at the mechanical dog. "You participate?"

"Yup. Finn and I sang "I Suck at Call of Duty" last time. Oddly appropriate considering his skill with a gun."

The lift doors opened, words engraved on the nearest wall informing them that they were on deck three. Noir patted his leg, saying, "C'mon, boy."

Jake barked happily and followed. Most of the space on the ship that wasn't used for various ship operations were used by the crew. Being a civilian vessel by design, the rooms aboard the Merida were quite spacious, taking up three of the ship's six decks. Noir usually slept down in the cargo bay, mostly because he liked to work late and his cot was a lot closer than his room on deck four. Still, he had been up there on occasion, and had a pretty good idea where his fellow thieves slept. Scarlet had a room up on deck two, as had Kyra back when she took the name Viridia: Auren, Violet, and Amber were on deck three, and Azure and Noir had rooms on the fourth floor.

It wasn't hard to notice Auren's door; she was always a bit on the messy side. Costumes hung on anything a hanger could be placed on, and discarded clothing lay around the floor as though she had simply flung it off on her way to bed without a care. Actually, Noir knew that was exactly the case; he had seen it before while talking with Violet once. Auren wasn't much for modesty either.

Violet's room was across from Auren's. Azure used to sleep there, but after the incident on Neukaraa, she had switched rooms with her sister. Noir felt more sorry for Auren; she was a free spirit, a wild thing that loved everything and everyone. She was always flirting with everyone, even Noir. She had been flirting with him that day, alcohol clear on her breath and yet her eyes were as crystal clear as ever. He had been working on the air-conditioning in her room; somehow, she had managed to get one of her stage costumes completely entrapped in her room's vent. He was still trying to extract the sequined silk when Azure stumbled into the room. Auren had smiled at her and asked, "Need something, hun?" The next thing Noir knew, the two of them were in bed, rapidly shedding their clothes as they kissed each other.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. He nearly ripped the costume in his haste to get out of there. "Ah, Auren." He said, shaking his head.

Auren's door opened revealing the woman herself in a glittery purple robe. Her long hair was naturally curly, and naturally white as snow as well. Her nektar habit left her eyes tinted yellow. Coupled with their natural luminescence, her irises appeared to be golden.

She smiled at Noir, a sleepy look in her eyes. "Oh. Hey there, Noir."

"Hi, Auren." Noir said, waving sheepishly. "I was just looking for Violet."

"Oh, she's in here. C'mon!" Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into her room.

Her rooms was definitely like her, Noir thought as he stared around at the mess. Clothes literally carpeted the floor, and her bed was a mess of pillows and comforters. A small vanity was crammed into the corner, on which rested an odd collection of makeup.

Violet was rummaging through some of the clothes. Glancing up at Noir, she said, "Oh. Hey, Noir. What brings you here?"

"Hoping for a look at our latest prize." Noir said in what he hoped was a non-chalant voice.

"Oh!" Auren exclaimed. She reached into a pile of clothes and yanked out the evidence box Violet and Azure had taken from the security station.

Violet glared at Auren. "You've let me search for that damn thing for over an hour, and you knew where it was all this time?"

Auren shrugged, the smile on her face partially obscured by her mass of long, curly hair.

Noir slid open the case and immediately let out a low whistle; the Creator's tear was a magnificent blue gemstone. Just big enough to fit in the palm of his hand, the tear-shaped stone was smooth to the touch, and felt unusually warm against his skin.

"Amazing." He murmured shifting it from hand to hand. "Hard to believe this is part of the same set as the other stones."

"Well, to be fair, the other stones weren't exactly kept in a museum." Violet said, crossing her arms and leaning back against one of the three large wardrobes in the room. "Who knows what they might have looked like years ago."

"Do you think it affected the map?" Auren asked, sounding a little bored.

Violet shook her head. "Nah. The inner components are what matters; that's what generates the map segments. Lady Scarlet's up in observation figuring it all out right now."

Noir snapped the lid shut and handed the box back to Violet, saying, "Has she narrowed it down any?"

"Beyond the Krogan DMZ?" Violet shook her head. "Not yet. But soon. Then the real fun starts."

"Great." Noir replied, shaking his head. "I'd better go get my gear ready; I've seen how what you consider fun generally ends."

Chuckling, Violet patted him on the arm and said, "Hey, at least it's better than fixing streetlights on Rannoch, right? Cheer up, brother. Just a bit further, and we'll all be set for life."

Jake let out a bark. Auren and Violet both looked at the mechanical dog with surprise in their eyes.

"Oh! I didn't realize you brought a friend!" Auren leaned down on her knees and held out a hand. Jake made a great show of sniffing it before letting her pet him.

"Touch sensors on the plating." Violet observed, squatting down beside Auren to get a better look at Jake. "That's pretty impressive work; when'd you make this?"

Noir shrugged, saying, "Ah, here and there. Kyra kept talking about her boyfriend's K-9 unit, and I've always wanted a pet; figured I'd just build one."

"Oh, that's so cool!" Auren rubbed the underside of Jake's monitor plate, whispering, "And what's your name, cutie?"

"He's … uh … Rolph."

"Rolph?" Violet asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup." Noir continued, "Rolph the Dog."

"That's … unusual." Violet watched Auren rub Jake's belly for a few moments before shaking her head and saying, "I'm gonna go see if our fearless leader has the coordinates yet. Noir?"

"Hmm?" Noir shook his head and handed the box back, saying, "Oh, right. Here ya go."

"Thanks." Violet told him as she slipped it into her pocket. "I'll be sure to send Scarlet your regards."

He felt his cheeks burn. "Ah, s-sure."

Chuckling, Violet ruffled Noir's hair before heading for the door.

"Well, I'd better get going to." Noir said, rubbing the back of his head. "C'mere, boy."

With a bark, Jake leapt to his feet and trotted over to Noir's side. He had scarcely reached the door when a slender hand stopped his with a touch.

"Plenty of time before we get to the DMZ, Noir." She said, moving close to him. "I was planning on taking a little nap. Of course, if you had a better idea …"

Flushing, he started towards the door again, only for Auren to wrap her arms around his stomach.

"I wish you'd say yes once in a while, hun." She told him, her voice strangely serious for a change. "I get worried about you, all alone down there. One boy on a ship full of beautiful girls … it can't be easy."

"Well, it helps that some of them are family." Noir told her.

Auren laughed, a light-hearted sound that never ceased to make Noir feel better. "I'd imagine so. Still, Scarlet is here."

Noir couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Yeah, she is. She is definitely here."

Auren laid her head against his back, saying, "I wish I could help, hun. I wish I could tell you she just needs time, but Scarlet's always been … well, Scarlet. Prim and proper and aloof as all hell."

She stepped around him and slipped her arms around his chest. "Well, just remember; you've always got at least one person on board who cares about you."

"You care about everyone." He told her, catching her hands. "You're a crazy space-hippie."

She giggled and slipped her hands from his grasp. "Guilty as charged! Maybe one day, you'll let me show you just how crazy I can be. Goodnight, Noir."

Shaking his head, he left Auren to her nap.


	10. Chapter 10 - The Plan

_Hey everyone! Sorry for the long delay; I just started a new job, and it's been hell on my writing time. Trust me; there's plenty more story here; we haven't even finished the first act yet. Well, that's enough from me; let's get to the story already! - Alan Tryth_

_p.s. Incidentally, if I take too long with a chapter, you can harass me about it on twitter. Just search for AlanTryth)._

Chapter 10

**The Plan**

Finn sighed as he lay reclined on one of the many boxes in the Merida's cargo bay.

"Bored; I never realized how boring it was when things actually went according to plan." Mannon rumbled as he sat on the floor. "Half-joking; makes me miss the old days."

"You mean on the station, or when we were running from Cerebrus?" Finn asked, staring at the ceiling.

"Nostalgic; nah, before that. Back on Dekuuna."

"I thought you hated Dekuuna."

"Clarifying; I was … dissatisfied with life on Dekuuna, not Dekuuna itself. Sitting in a tribe, listening to Elders tell long-winded stories ... that was boring. Life on Alkerion, on the other hand, was pure Celmaxadrine."

Finn sat up and let his feet hang over the side of the crate. "Alkerion; that's the space station right next to Dekuuna, right?"

"Correct. Knowledgably: it was a center of commerce, of business." To Finn's amazement, Darsan let out a sigh. "By the ancestors, I miss those days. Buying and selling stocks, investing in exciting new businesses throughout the galaxy, always knowing that one false move and I could easily lose everything. Wistful; I've never felt more alive in all my life, even when I saved you, Jake, and Mannon on Omega."

"Wow." Finn said, doing his best to sound interested; the business world had never held much interest for him, though he respected Darsan too much to say so. "Why'd you give it up?"

Darsan let out another sigh. It was surprising how human it made him seem. "Regretful; I didn't."

Finn opened his mouth to ask what Darsan meant when he heard the sound of the lift doors sliding open on the other side of the bay.

He and Darsan quickly hid as the footsteps approached their position. Pulling off her red hood, Mannon called out, "It's okay, guys; it's just me."

"Just being careful." Finn said, hopping onto his crate again. "Find anything of note?"

"Nothing we didn't already know." She told him, using a towel Darsan offered her to wipe the makeup off of her face. "We're heading somewhere inside the Krogan DMZ. I did get a confirmation signal from Trident; no message, but at least Liara knows what's going on now."

"Glad that's over with." She told them, walking behind a large stack of plastic barrels. "I need to get out of this thing before I burst."

Finn turned around to give her a little privacy. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little awkward after Mannon's earlier confession. Still, she didn't seem nervous about it, and if she was fine with it, he was fine with it as well.

"I hope the others are okay." Finn said, feeling the need to make some conversation.

"Teasing; are you missing milady, sweetie?"

Finn chuckled. "Yeah, I am, actually. I hope she's not worried."

"Why should she be worried?" Mannon asked as she tossed Scarlet's dress at Darsan, who caught it deftly and tossed it back in the wardrobe from which they had taken it. "It's not like we're stuck on a ship full of thieves who will probably shoot us out the airlock if they figure out we're down here."

The lift opened again. Darsan and Finn quickly went to hide behind the stack where Mannon was still dressing. They quickly found new hiding places after she whacked the both of them with her and Jake appeared around the corner a few moments later. "Okay guys …" Noir whispered, glancing around."

"Ahem."

"Er, and lady." Noir hastily amended. "I got it!"

Finn hurried around the barrel, saying, "You did? Way to go, Noir!"

Noir's cheeks darkened as he handed the crystal to Finn. Finn marveled at the expertly cut stone for a few moments before saying, "Okay, all we need to do now is wait for pickup, bring this back to Ilium, and explain everything."

"Sarcastically; yeah, that sounds easy enough."

"Oh, come on, Darsan!" Finn said, playfully punching one of the elcor's massive forearms. "Things are looking up!"

"Yeah!" Jake hopped up on his hind legs and lifted a metal paw, saying, "Right here, bro!"

Finn moved to high-five Jake. Unfortunately, the ship gave a massive shudder that made Finn miss; Jake's paw hit his other arm, knocking the Creator's Tear in the air. Mannon and Noir hurried forward to catch the falling gem, but ended up crashing into each other. As the gem continued downward, a flash of grey shot past One and caught the gem mere inches from the floor.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as Darsan lifted his arm and brought the jewel in front of his unreadable face.

"Thank the Maker." Finn breathed. "For a second there, I thought …"

Darsan dropped the Creator's Tear. Finn stared as the gem fell, seemingly in slow-motion, spinning ever so slightly before it crashed to the floor and splintered into a thousand shards.

For a long moment, no one could say or do anything but stare at Darsan, who only stared back at them with his emotionless black eyes.

Jake was the first to find his voice. "The hell, man? What the hell did you do that for!"

Noir fell to his knees, trying unenthusiastically to gather the shards back together as Finn struggled to find his voice.

"Darsan!" Mannon said, anger evident on her face. "You'd better have a very good-"

"Matter-of-factly; it was a fake."

Silence fell over the room for a few more moments.

"A fake?" Finn asked, finally managing to speak.

"Annoyed; I spent over a decade as a jeweler. Believe me; it's nothing but glass."  
Noir stared at the shattered chunks in his three-fingered hands. "But … if this is a fake …"

"…where's the real one?" Mannon finished.

They stared at each other until a loud chime indicated the ship's intercom had been activated. "Noir, Amber, and Azure, report to the observation lounge immediately."

"That was Lady Scarlet." Noir said, looking quickly between Finn and Mannon. "They know!"

"Of course they don't know." Finn told him. "Calm down, man; if they knew, they'd be down here to get all of us."

Mannon nodded in agreement. "He's right. It must be something else."

"So what should I do?" Noir asked, wringing his hands.

Finn grabbed Noir by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "First, take a deep breath. If you try to talk to her like this, she'll know something is up."

"O-okay …"

"No, seriously; take a deep breath. In!"

Noir took a deep breath.

"And out."

Noir let it out , Finn said, "Now, go to the meeting with Jake. He'll be able to relay anything he sees to us."

"R-right." Noir took another shaking breath and let it out slowly.

"Right." Finn patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You got this, man. Once this is over, you can help Kyra with the engines; no more field work unless you just really want it."

Nodding, Noir told him, "Okay. I got this."

"Excellent. Jake?"

Jake had just managed to shimmy his way back into his makeshift faceplate. Looking up, he said, "Ready to go."

Sighing, Finn knelt down and twisted the faceplate until it was no longer upside-down. "There … and good luck, bro."

"Hey! With this disguise, I'm invisible!"

"You too, Noir." Mannon told Noir. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Noir replied, his cheeks tinged blue.

As Noir and Jake walked back to the lift, Darsan asked, "Curious; why do you suppose she's calling him up there?"

Noir was still wondering that himself as he stepped out onto the observation deck. Located near the to p of the ship, the Observation Deck was really little more than a big round room with a table and some chairs. Monitors cleverly placed in the ceiling gave the illusion that they were windows, beyond which lay the cosmos fantastique.

Most of the other members of Siren's Call were already seated; Scarlet sat in her usual seat, talking casually with Violet and Auren. Auren, now wearing a pair of short denim shorts and a flannel shirt tied off at her chest, was animatedly telling them some story about an old boyfriend that had them laughing. Amber sat a chair away from the group, her eyes puffy and red. Noir could only guess her talk with Azure had not gone well.

"Not that I'm complaining, but where is Azure?" Noir asked as he sat down between Violet and Amber.

Amber sniffed loudly, but didn't say anything.

Violet put her hand on Noir's arm, saying, "Best not mention her right now."

"But the meeting ..."

"I will fill her in on the details later." Scarlet said, rising from her chair. "For now, we have much to discuss."

She began to walk around the table, saying, "You have followed me faithfully for years now, all of you. I am not exaggerating when I say you have been more a family to me than any I've had from birth. For years, you've waited patiently and helped me prepare for what is to come, and now it looks like what we've sought is within our grasp. It's time for you to know the truth."

Noir shuffled in his seat, now extremely interested; they had always known they were after a treasure, but Scarlet had been extremely tight-lipped about the whole thing. If Violet hadn't assured him that Scarlet was on the level (and if Noir hadn't already had a crush on their mysterious and beautiful leader), Noir might very well have left with Kyra.

Jake sat on his hindquarters and peered over the table as the center receded, revealing a hologram generator. After a few moments, it began to project a three-dimensional image of a strange symbol.

"Does anyone know what this is?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

After nothing but silence followed the question for a few moments, she continued, "This is the symbol of an old salarian organization known as 'The League of One'. Known only to the highest members of the salarian government, The League was a group of salarian spies and assassins with an unprecedented level of skill and power."

"Like Spectres, or the STG?" Auren asked, sounding a little bored.

Scarlet shook her head. "Better. These salarians carried no rank, and only the most powerful were privy to their identities. The only sign of their true identity was a single medallion given to each of the twelve members upon induction. These were the kind of agents who could single-handedly stop a war before it happened ... or start one if need be."

"I can't see the Council letting any race, even one of the primes, have a group with that much power." Violet said thoughtfully.

"Indeed." Scarlet told her. "When the salarians joined the Council, as a measure of goodwill, they gave the Council access to all of their top secret information, including the identities of the League of One. Over the years, the League had accrued some pretty nasty enemies among over a dozen different races, and as you might expect, their identities slipped out fairly quickly."

"Bet they loved that." Noir commented.

Scarlet nodded. "The upper cabinet of the Salarian government was assassinated shortly after the exposure of the League. No one questioned who was responsible. They sent their best out to bring in the rogue group, but only two of the hunters returned, with no evidence of the League. Occasionally, a medallion was found, but no one ever confirmed whether or not the League was eliminated. No one had any proof that they even still existed ... until I found this on an archeological dig in the Silean Expanse."

She carefully set a small medallion on the table. Moments later, a salarian appeared on the projector. He wore a fine suit and carried a walking stick with a crystal orb on the grip. He was uninjured, though it was clear he was very old.

After a short spasm of coughing, he said, "I awoke this morning coughing up blood. I didn't want to admit it, but I'm afraid my end is nearer than I anticipated. I'm not sure who I'm making this message for; most of the others are dead, and any still alive are no doubt facing the same fate as me at this point. Still, I suppose with mortality comes the desire to be remembered. As such, my name is Geral Mkrobi, scientist, surgeon, and unbeknownst to everyone I've ever known, Leader of the League of One."

He lifted a hand, showing a medallion with the League's symbol on the front. Coughing again, he continued, "We were once the hidden hand of the salarian government, Sur'Kesh's greatest agents, and symbol of the strength of the salarian people until we were betrayed by our own government. When they unveiled us to the galaxy, we decided to set up a bit of a retirement ... after getting our severance from our former leaders, of course. It was easy, really; with all our contacts, all the information we had acquired over the years, we went on a burglary spree across the galaxy; cultural artifacts, prototype technology, Prothean technology, and more credits than the annual turian military budget ... everything we could get a hold of, we gathered here, in our base."

"The plan was simple; we would wait in our sanctuary until the danger had passed, then spend the rest of our lives living as we pleased. After five years, we all set out on our own path, all save myself; I remained here to guard the sanctuary. Every three years, the others would return on the same day to replenish their funds."

A small smile graced the old salarian's face. "We took to calling it Miiraka. That's old salarian; it doesn't translate well these days, but it basically means 'the feeling when walking home from a hard day's work'. I've spent most of my life alone; never really cared much for people. Still, I have to admit, I looked forward to Miiraka; it was good to see everyone again, and to hear of all their stories. Toben got back into Archeology; he was always talking about some ruin he had found, or showing off some rare artifact he had discovered. Haaris took a job cleaning the mirror pools on Sur'Kesh; used to tickle him that he could work so close to the capital without the politicians suspecting the truth. Grym ended up joining the Eternians; I still listen to the recordings sometimes when I think about the past."

His smile faded as he continued, "Kaalinor was the first to go; an accident in one of the high gravity races he loved so much. We were saddened by his loss, but thought nothing of it at the time. Then, almost a year to the day, Grym was found dead in the pool of the hotel he and the band were staying at. Medical analysis showed it to be an overdose of Blue Rose. It wasn't until Haaris died, again, almost a year to the day, that we began to suspect we were being targeted.

When we met at the next Miiraka, we contemplated the identity of our attackers; some thought it an overzealous asari Justicar, others thought it might be some turian general we had worked against in the past, still others thought that it might be some treasure hunter out to find our by then fabled loot. Yanis thought it might be some Spectre out to make a name for him, her, or itself. In truth, we had nothing but speculation to go on. Nevertheless, we decided that if we were to die, we would make sure our elusive foe would not get his hands on our legacy. To that end, we decided to leave our medallions on different, under-developed worlds using the utmost secrecy. You see, the medallions are more than simple medals; they each contain part of a heavily encrypted code that pinpoints the loation of this sanctuary. If you are seeing this, then you no doubt recovered the Eye of Giraal from the Midoccans. In finding this message, you've proven yourself to be resourceful and perceptive, two traits valued by the League of One. Continue in that, and you will no doubt find the location of our legacy. You may claim it as yours, to sell or keep as you desire, as I'm certain I will no longer be in any condition to care; whatever choice you make, I only ask this in return."

He coughed again and straightened up as much as he could. There was both pride and a measure of humility in his voice as he said, "Whether you view us as heroes, villains, or scoundrels, the shape of the galaxy would no doubt be much different had we never existed. Please ... remember us."


	11. Chapter 11 - Command Decisions

Chapter 11

**Command Decisions**

As the hologram faded, Lady Scarlet murmured, "May you walk in eternal light." Noir bowed his head as well, out of respect for the long-dead salarian.

Looking back at her crew, she said, "Any questions?"

Silence followed for a few moments before Auren asked, "So this treasure ... pretty big haul right?"

"I'd imagine so." Scarlet told her. "You heard what he said; artifacts, prototypes, credits ... more than enough to make us rich for the rest of our lives, as long as we get to it first."

A smirk on her face, Violet commented, "All the fancy dresses and sparkling shoes you could possibly want."

Auren gave Violet a dazzling smile. "And all the drinks I could possibly want. Sounds good to me."

"Can we really find it?" Amber asked, a little less sad-looking now. "I mean, we know Goto's after it."

"Not just them." Scarlet said as she sat back down. "Are any of you familiar with the Saints?"

"The Saints?" Noir repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You don't mean the Third Street Saints, do you?"

Scarlet nodded. "The very same. They've risen in popularity in the past few years, ever since they overthrew the Tongla Syndicate on Eden Prime. Now, they're considered one of the bigger criminal organizations in operation."

"Criminals?" Amber asked, sounding surprised. "I thought you said ..."

"They took out the Syndicate to take over themselves." Noir explained.

"Mind you, it's still worlds better than the Syndicate." Violet said, sounding thoughtful. "Word is, they're fair and even look out for the little people. Bad place to be a business person, but a good place to be otherwise."

Scarlet placed her hand on the table. Moments later, the projector produced a harsh-looking red symbol.

Violet let out a low whistle. "That's the symbol of the Blood Pack. They're after the treasure too?"

"Not yet." Scarlet admitted, "But I've no doubt they'll be getting involved once we reach Tuchanka."

Everyone looked up at her immediately. Amber rose to her feet, disbelief in her voice as she said, "Tuchanka?! Are you crazy? That's where the krogans live!"

"You can't be serious, Scarlet." This came from Violet, who for the first time in Noir's life, actually seemed shocked.

Scarlet raised her hands for silence, but there seemed little chance of that; Violet began to expound the dangers of the Krogan DMZ while Amber started talking about how big and strong and oh-so-scary the krogans were, and what they'd do if they caught Siren's Call. Never one to be very helpful, Auren actually started laughing as though at some massive unseen joke.

Noir watched as Scarlet tried with increasing frustration to calm the situation. Seeing them ignore her like that bothered him. It bothered him a lot."Would you all just shut up?" He shouted loudly enough to be heard over the din. Now everyone was looking at him with shocked expressions. Gesturing to Scarlet, he said, "At least let her finish explaining before you freak out. I mean, she's got us this far, hasn't she?"Auren eyed him with a measure of respect, while Amber and Violet both looked a little embarressed. Her cheeks dark, Lady Scarlet let out a polite cough and nodded at Noir. "Thank you. As I was going to say, my analysis of the medallions hidden in the artifacts we've been picking up has allowed me to narrow the location of the League's Sanctuary to somewhere on Tuchanka.""I trust we have more to go on than that." Violet said, having recomposed herself. "Tuchanka's a big planet."

"Filled with krogan." Amber added.

Scarlet nodded, saying, "Each medallion makes it that much easier to pinpoint the exact location; they're old, and my decryption program still doesn't have enough information to decode the security protocol the League put on them. Still, I believe we are getting close; we just need one, maybe two more to finally break the code. Fortunately, there is one on Tuchanka."

The hologram changed again, this time showing an image of a dark red uncut gemstone.

"Is that to scale?" Noir asked Scarlet, who nodded. "By the ancestors, that thing's bigger than my head!"

A small smile graced Scarlet's lips. "It is called 'The Blood of the Krogan'. It was recovered a few years back from ruins predating the Krogan rebellions."

Sensing the other shoe was about to drop, so to speak, Noir asked, "Where is it now?"

Scarlet's smile faltered. As she pressed her hand against the table, the image of the gemstone shrunk again. Details appeared around it encasing it in a krogan headpiece worn by a particularly grizzled-looking krogan with red head-plating and a scar across his face.

Jake whined and hid under the table as Scarlet said, "This is Urdnot Wrex, Primarch of the Krogan people."

"The Primarch." Auren repeated, her eyes wide as she laughed again at the absurdity of the situation. "Of course it's the Primarch; who else would it be?"

"Let me get this straight;" Violet said, her eyes down as she slowly stood up and laid her hands on the flat surface of the table, "We have to go to Tuchanka and steal the headdress of Primarch Urdnot Wrex to uncover the location of the Sanctuary of the League of One."

Scarlet nodded. It looked as though she wanted to say something, but after nothing came out of her mouth for a few moments, she simply closed it and slowly sat down.

Violet glanced at the other members of Siren's Call before saying, "Okay. I'm in."

Scarlet looked up, surprised. "You ... really?"

"Me too." Auren said, laughter in her eyes. "If you're gonna fail, fail big; that's what mom always told me."

Amber still looked uncertain, but she eventually nodded. "I trust you, Scarlet. Just ... are you sure there isn't another way?"

"There might be more medallions out there." Scarlet conceded. "But I wouldn't know where to start looking for them; I was lucky to find the first message pointing out the medallion hidden in the Breath of the Forest on Neukaraa, but it took me years to find the others. We are almost there, I am sure of it. If we wait too long, we might lose it to someone else."

"Someone else has medallions?" Noir asked."I've confirmed that the Saints have found three. Whoever was hunting the League may have as many as three as well, assuming they're still around."

"That's nine, ten counting Wrex's headpiece." Violet commented. "So just two more left floating around out there.""There's no guarantee that those two have remained hidden." Scarlet sighed and said, "Or the possibility that they might have already found it."

Noir snorted. "I doubt it; the Saints aren't much for subtlty; if they found the haul, the entire galaxy would still be recovering from the epic scale party they'd throw. As for whoever was hunting them, maybe they didn't manage to recover all the medallions; I'd imagine the League would have destroyed them before letting them be taken, if possible. If they had already found the place, wouldn't the relics have shown up by now?""Fair point." Violet conceded. "Even if they were sold to a some rich ponse, word would have leaked out eventually."

"I agree." Scarlet said, standing again. "We can do this, I'm sure of it. We've come this far. Trust me just a little longer, and we'll be set for life ... all of us."

Auren rose from her chair, stifling a yawn. "Well, like we said, sweetie; we're with you. Just let us know what we need to do."

"I'll get to work on a plan right away." Violet added, already heading for the door.

Amber stood up. For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to say something, but she just nodded at Scarlet and headed for the lift with the others.

As Noir started to join the others in the lift, Scarlet called out, "A moment, Noir, if you would."

"O-of course." Noir narrowed his eyes at Violet as she gave him one final smirk before the lift doors closed, leaving Noir and Scarlet alone.

Scarlet remained seated, while Noir was still standing. After a few moments that seemed to stretch forever, Scarlet said, "Thank you."

Surprised, Noir asked, "For what?"

"For stepping in earlier. I knew our destination would cause some arguments, but I didn't realize just how opposed Amber and Violet would be to the idea."

Noir rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks growing warm. "Well, no problem. I mean, you got us this far; if you think we can do this, then we can do this."

"Thank you. Your support means a lot to me." She hesitated a moment before saying, "It's been hardest on you."

"On me?" Noir shook his head. "I've just had to fix the ship and set the stage; you're the ones who do the singing and dancing ... and pull off the heists."

"And we wouldn't have done nearly as well if it wasn't for your technical expertise. It's more than that, though."

"I ... oh." Noir could feel his blush burning over his whole face.

"Violet and Azure both told me how close you and Viridia were. I must admit, I was surprised when you didn't leave with her."

Noir let out a nervous chuckle. "What can I say? Staying here seemed the better option."

Another tense silence passed between them. Coughing, Noir said, "Well, if that's all ..."

"I'm sorry."

Noir felt his heart drop. Trying to sound normal, he said, "It's okay; you don't have to say anything."

"No, I do. You've stood by me loyally from the first day you were on board. You've given your best to Siren's Call, and to me, and I just ... I want you to know that ..."Now Scarlet's cheeks were dark. Sighing, she said, "Amber just confessed to Azure. That's why she wasn't at the meeting."

"Really?" Noir replied, feigning surprise. "Well, it was only a matter of time, I guess. From the look of her, Azure didn't respond well."

"I don't know. She's holed up in her room right now, and Amber refuses to talk about it." Scarlet started fidgeting with her hands. "It's just ... I don't ... I don't want it to be like that. You're not just my partner in this; you're my friend."

Seeing her so bothered on his account was painful for Noir. "It's okay." He assured her. "If you just want to be friends, I understand.""No you don't." She said, giving him a kind smile. "You're just saying that so I don't feel bad."

He looked at her, startled for a moment before letting out an embarressed laugh. "Maybe I am. I'm the only brother of five sisters; they brought so much drama into the house that I felt bad making even a little complaint."

"I'll bet." Scarlet said, smiling a little wider. "I can only imagine what it was like growing up with them."

"It wasn't so bad." He told her. "Viridia ... Kyra and I looked out for each other. I guess it's normal for twins."

After another moment of silence, Noir coughed and said, "Well, I'd better get back to the engines, in case we-"

"I like you too." She said quietly, her eyes latching on to his like energy grapples.

Noir's mind came to a screeching halt; whatever he had been about to say vanished from his mind, leaving him in stunned silence with his mouth still open.

She rose from her chair and approached Noir. What little speech he had left died as she stood in front of him.

"I'm not engaged." She told him. "I just ... I wasn't sure how I felt. I thought it might make it easier, but I've never met someone like you before. You're kind and caring, and when people talk, you actually listen. You've always been there since we were kids, even when things weren't going so great for you. I think ... I'd like us to become closer."

Her cheeks went a shade darker. "But this isn't the time for that kind of thing. It could complicate our mission."

"Ah." Noir said. To be fair, 'ah' was probably the only thing he was capable of saying at the moment.

His heart leapt as she brushed a hand against his cheek tenatively.

"Give me a little more time." She said, her voice almost pleading. "Please. Then, once we've secured the League's treasure ... maybe ..."

Unable to voice a reply, he put his hand against hers on his cheek. Her sweey, small smile returned as she whispered, "It's been a long time since Mustrum Valley, hasn't it?"

"I haven't forgotten my promise." He said, his voice almost startling him.

"I know." She smiled at him for a moment longer before slipping her hand from his and stepping back.

Taking it as his cue to be on his way, Noir bowed his head respectfully and said, "I'll just ... uh, go work on the engines."

"Very good."

Noir patted his leg, saying, "C'mon, Rolph."

When Jake didn't respond, Noir sighed and tapped the K-9 Unit on its head. "That's you."

"Hmm? Ah, woof!" Jake leapt to his feat and pranced over to the lift. As Noir stepped inside, he saw Scarlet still looking at him. Blushing, he gave her a little wave as the doors slid shut.

With a sigh, he fell back against the side of the lift. "By the ancestors." He murmured. "Could this get any worse?"

Jake looked at Noir, his head cocked to the side in askance. "I don't get it; I thought you liked her.""Yes, but I'm supposed to be going with you guys!" He let his head fall into his hands. "I feel horrible. If only she had said something sooner!"

"To be fair, if she had, you'd probably still be tied up down in the cargo bay."

Noir looked at Jake for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "You're probably right. What am I going to do?"

Jake sat down beside Noir. "Look, I know this is none of my business, but me and Finn have this deal; I give him advice on things he has difficulty dealing with, whether he wants it or not, and he reserves the right to tell me to get lost. You mind?"

"Huh? Oh, sure. Go ahead."

"Right. If you want to stay and start a relationship with Scarlet, then do it. Believe me, man, Finn will understand. I'm guessing there's a bit more history there than you let on before, and you'd have to be some kinda idiot to say that her feelings don't change things."

"But how can I work with Finn and the others if they don't know if they can trust me? If they know I might end up staying with Siren's Call?"

Jake shifted uncomfortably. "Well, for the moment anyway, they don't know. I may have accidentally shut down my communication link with Finn during your and Scarlet's little talk."

Noir stared at Jake with unabashed amazement. "You ... did that for me?"

"It seemed kinda rude to eavesdrop. Besides ..." He batted Noir's leg with his metal paw. "I always got my friends' backs."

Noir smiled gratefully at Noir. "I see why you and Finn are such good friends."

"Yeah, we're practically brothers, which is why I'm gonna ask you this; if you do stay with Siren's Call, please don't betray Finn and the others. Even if you aren't going with us, we were willing to let you join us on our mission against Cerberus, and that's gotta count for something. We gotta deal?"

Noir smiled as he shook the robot dog's paw. "Deal."


End file.
